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Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client, Lee Mongerson Gilley, are shown in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center, 1201 Franklin, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, in Houston. He is charged with capital murder in death of his wife, Christa Gilley.<\/p>\n
Melissa Phillip\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
A judge has limited what Lee Gilley’s attorneys and prosecutors can publicly say about his capital murder case<\/a> following comments made by veteran attorney Dick DeGuerin in the wake of his client fleeing to Italy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The gag order signed Friday prevents attorneys from discussing the increasingly high-profile case involving Gilley, 39, whose flight overseas has caused a flurry of publicity in Houston<\/a> and internationally.<\/p>\n READ MORE: \u00a0Lee Gilley, accused in pregnant wife’s death, flees the U.S. ahead of trial<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Lawyers met in Judge Peyton Peebles’ courtroom Friday after the Harris County District Attorney’s Office alleged in a court filing that DeGuerin had gone too far in media interviews about Gilley’s case. Prosecutors argued that DeGuerin\u2019s statements and the intense media coverage risked prejudicing potential jurors.<\/p>\n The motion noted that DeGuerin had given People magazine<\/a> insight into the defense team’s potential trial strategy to counter the medical examiner’s belief that Gilley’s wife, Christa, had died from being strangled. DeGuerin said Christa Gilley suffered from a rare medical condition.<\/p>\n Another comment to a Houston TV station revealed DeGuerin had communicated with Gilley after his client had tampered with an ankle monitor and fled to Italy. DeGuerin said he advised Gilley not to fight his extradition.<\/p>\n DeGuerin similarly told the Houston Chronicle about his conversation with Gilley minutes after it happened. Gilley remains detained by Italian authorities after he attempted to enter the country with falsified travel papers.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In a May 8 letter to Peebles, the Chronicle asked the judge to deny the motion seeking the gag order. The news organization said the order would \u201champer transparency\u201d about the case and prohibit parties from discussing important issues, such as how a capital murder defendant was able to disable his ankle monitor and flee to Italy without anyone alerting the court about the escape until days later<\/a>.<\/p>\n Christa Gilley, 38, is shown in an undated photo. She died Oct. 7, 2024. Police arrested her husband, Lee Mongerson Gilley, days later on a capital murder charge. He reported she had committed suicide at their Houston Heights residence.<\/p>\n courtesy<\/p>\n Gag order issued<\/p>\n DeGuerin, since obtaining his law license in 1965, famously represented millionaire and convicted killer Robert Durst, as well as cult leader David Koresh. In 2024, he represented former Harris County bailiff Renard Spivey, who was acquitted in his wife’s death.\u00a0<\/p>\n Peebles’ gag order does not mirror the proposed restrictions District Attorney Sean Teare’s general counsel, Joshua Reiss, drafted late Thursday. Reiss handed over a new version of the motion with several scratched-out sentences Friday that were not publicly available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n