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A Texas man accused of killing his pregnant wife then cutting off his ankle monitor and fleeing the country told a judge in Italy that he is innocent and does not want to return to the United States.
Lee Mongerson Gilley appeared Monday in a Milan courtroom after his arrest earlier this month, where he refused to consent to extradition and instead sought to remain in Italy while pursuing asylum.
“My wife is dead, and they wrongly blamed me. I am innocent. I did not kill my wife,” Gilley told the court, according to NBC News. “The only crime I committed was fleeing.”
Gilley told the judge he fled because he feared for his life and said he does not trust the U.S. justice system. He added that he chose Italy in part because of what he described as stronger due process protections and opposition to the death penalty.
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Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client, Lee Mongerson Gilley, appear in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston on Oct. 17, 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
In court Monday, Gilley told the judge that he would like to remain in Italy “because of the lifestyle, the culture, the international protection, and to receive a fair trial,” according to NBC News.
Italian officials have not yet decided whether to extradite him back to the United States, the outlet reported.
Gilley, 39, is charged with capital murder in the 2024 death of his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was found unresponsive in the couple’s Houston home on Oct. 7, 2024.
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Lee Mongerson Gilley and his defense attorney, Ed McClees, right, 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. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Authorities initially responded to a reported overdose or suicide, but investigators later determined she died from strangulation. An autopsy found she was pregnant at the time.
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Charging documents obtained by KPRC allege Gilley caused her death by applying pressure to her neck and upper body. Prosecutors have said he gave inconsistent accounts of what happened and initially claimed he tried to save his wife with CPR. He later acknowledged she was not suicidal and that the couple had been arguing before her death, according to the outlet.
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Gilley was arrested days after the incident but later released on bond. His trial had been scheduled to begin this month.
Authorities say Gilley cut off his court-ordered GPS ankle monitor and fled the country ahead of a scheduled court appearance. The monitor alerted authorities after it was tampered with, according to KPRC.
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Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
Investigators believe Gilley traveled from Texas to Canada and then on to Italy, where he was detained upon arrival in Milan. Court filings cited by NBC News state he was traveling under a pseudonym and carrying forged Belgian identification documents.
Prosecutors have also alleged that while out on bond, Gilley discussed plans to flee the country and obtain a new identity, including inquiries about securing foreign identification and devising a plan to remove his GPS monitor.
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Prosecutors allege Lee Mongerson Gilley killed his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was nine months pregnant, in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
Instead of returning to Texas, Gilley is now seeking asylum in Italy, arguing he is being “wrongfully prosecuted” and fears the death penalty. His attorney, Dick DeGuerin, told KPRC that Gilley’s decision to flee should not be interpreted as an admission of guilt.
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“I’m concerned that the prosecution will try to say that it’s evidence of consciousness of guilt that he’s running from it, but I think he’s just scared,” DeGuerin said.
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DeGuerin has also indicated that Texas authorities may need to assure Italian officials that Gilley will not face the death penalty in order to secure extradition, though he has said prosecutors are not currently seeking it.
A U.S. judge has issued a gag order in the case, limiting what attorneys can publicly say. Italian officials have also signaled they are unlikely to comment publicly while the case is pending.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Gilley’s attorneys and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.