HOUSTON \u2013 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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019re seeking to prevent him from receiving or keeping financial benefits arising from her death, including an inheritance or an interest in the family home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve not even had an opportunity to really grieve for the loss of their daughter,\u201d the Bauers\u2019 South Carolina attorney Mark Tinsley said. \u201cThey hope to get some measure of closure in terms of justice and being able to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit comes exactly two years after Houston police got called to the couple\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n
The medical examiner\u2019s office ultimately ruled Christa Gilley\u2019s death a homicide due to compression of the neck, and Lee Gilley was arrested for murder four days later.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
While Harris County prosecutors never indicated intent to seek death, it also had not been formally ruled out until a highly \u201cunusual\u201d filing from Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare last month made the intention clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is our hope that this notice will put an end to the defendant\u2019s charade so that he can be tried by a jury or judge in the United States and the victims receive the justice they deserve,\u201d Teare wrote in the filing.<\/p>\n
Gilley has claimed to the Italian court during previous proceedings that he was wrongly accused, doesn\u2019t have faith in the justice system, and that he fled the U.S. to avoid being killed while seeking protection in Italy. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal of the lawsuit is to hold Lee Gilley accountable and to prevent him from recovering assets,\u201d the Bauers\u2019 other attorney, Badge Humphries, said. \u201cWhether or not he\u2019ll 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.\u201d <\/p>\n