Texas man accused of murdering his pregnant wife took off electronic bracelet and fled the country
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39 years old, was charged in 2025 with capital murder for the death of his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley
A Texas man, charged with capital murder for the death of his pregnant wife, fled the-country, according to his lawyer.
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39 years old, was charged in 2025 with capital murder for the death of his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was pregnant at the time of her death. The On Monday May 4, Gilley's attorney Dick DeGuerin told KPRC that his client had removed his electronic ankle monitor before boarding a plane to Canada.
Gilley flew from Canada to Italy, where he was detained by the authorities, as reported by DeGuerin to KHOU. Upon arriving in Italy, Gilley would have stated He told the authorities that he was seeking asylum in the country because he was being “unfairly processed” and feared being sentenced to death, according to KPRC.
Gilley is accused of intentionally causing the death of Christa and her unborn child by exerting pressure on their neck and upper back on October 7, 2024, according to charging documents viewed by People.
At the time of Christa's death, Gilley initially stated to police that his wife had died from an overdose and that tried to resuscitate her after finding her unconscious. She was transferred to a local hospital, where her death was later confirmed.
When Christa arrived at the hospital, the medical staff informed the police that he had bruises and obvious trauma on his face, according to a bail order obtained by r People at the time. The Harris County Forensic Sciences Institute ruled that his death was a homicide, with the cause of death being “neck compression”.
According to KPRC, Gilley later admitted to police that he and Christa had argued hours before her death and that she was neither suicidal nor a drug user.
He was arrested for homicide in October 2024, released on one million dollar bail on October 21 and forced to carry a m electronic monitor on the ankle as a condition of his release on bail. He was also not allowed to leave the state of Texas without prior notification.
Authorities allege that before leaving the country, Gilley spoke with a woman about whether she knew of any Mexican identity she could obtain to facilitate her departure, KPRC reported, citing court documents.
On Friday May 1, his electronic monitor issued a belt-tampering alert, and authorities were unable to contact Gilley in the following days.