HOUSTON – The family of Christa Bauer Gilley has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lee Gilley, the Houston man accused of killing his pregnant wife in 2024 before cutting off his ankle monitor and fleeing the country.
Chris and Sharon Bauer filed suit against Lee Gilley in Harris County district court Wednesday, alleging he intentionally and wrongfully caused the deaths of Christa Gilley and her unborn child. They’re seeking to prevent him from receiving or keeping financial benefits arising from her death, including an inheritance or an interest in the family home.
“They’ve not even had an opportunity to really grieve for the loss of their daughter,” the Bauers’ South Carolina attorney Mark Tinsley said. “They hope to get some measure of closure in terms of justice and being able to move forward.”
The lawsuit comes exactly two years after Houston police got called to the couple’s home in the Heights for a report of a suicide, but hospital staff informed investigators Christa Bauer had bruising and apparent trauma to her face.
The medical examiner’s office ultimately ruled Christa Gilley’s death a homicide due to compression of the neck, and Lee Gilley was arrested for murder four days later.
Weeks before his capital murder trial was scheduled to begin, Lee Gilley cut off his GPS ankle monitor and fled the country using a fake name and forged travel documents, according to federal investigators. He was detained at the airport in Milan in early May where he claimed asylum.
Since then, a transatlantic back-and-forth has played out with the Italian court seeking guarantee from the U.S. government that Lee Gilley would not face the death penalty if convicted.
While Harris County prosecutors never indicated intent to seek death, it also had not been formally ruled out until a highly “unusual” filing from Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare last month made the intention clear.
“It is our hope that this notice will put an end to the defendant’s charade so that he can be tried by a jury or judge in the United States and the victims receive the justice they deserve,” Teare wrote in the filing.
Gilley has claimed to the Italian court during previous proceedings that he was wrongly accused, doesn’t have faith in the justice system, and that he fled the U.S. to avoid being killed while seeking protection in Italy.
The Italian court held another hearing on the extradition case Wednesday and reserved its decision to make a ruling in the coming days, according to attorneys familiar with the court proceedings.
“The goal of the lawsuit is to hold Lee Gilley accountable and to prevent him from recovering assets,” the Bauers’ other attorney, Badge Humphries, said. “Whether or not he’ll be held accountable by the state of Texas depends on whether they can work out his extradition with the Italian Republic. We plan on holding him accountable through this lawsuit regardless.”
In an op-ed published this week by The Wall Street Journal, Christa Bauer’s parents, who noted the family’s Italian heritage, announced publicly for the first time that they don’t want the death penalty imposed in this case.
“We don’t believe justice for Christa involves taking another life. For us, justice means improving the well-being of women like her. It means confronting the global problem of violence against women. Italians have come together in recent years to reject violence. In November, the Italian Parliament unanimously passed a law that defines the crime of femicide and makes it punishable with a life sentence. Italians have made clear they don’t want to harbor those accused of violence against women. On the second anniversary of Christa’s murder, an Italian court will again consider Lee’s asylum plea. We are asking that Italian and U.S. authorities work together to grant extradition. Our family doesn’t seek Lee’s death. We seek justice for Christa’s,” Chris and Sharon Bauer wrote.
The wrongful death lawsuit also seeks damages for Chris and Sharon Bauer, the two surviving children and her estate, plus exemplary damages.
Humphries said they plan to request that Gilley’s other attorneys accept service of the lawsuit on his behalf.
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.