Lee Gilley, 40, was arrested on 2024 charges of murdering his pregnant wife, Christa Bauer, after authorities found her unresponsive in their Dallas home. Police say Bauer was eight weeks pregnant and that the injuries on her face and body were consistent with strangulation, not the CPR attempt Gilley claimed.
On May 24, Gilley cut off his ankle monitor, boarded a flight to Toronto, then used a forged Belgian passport to reach Milan, Italy, where he was taken into custody by the Carabinieri. The passport, flagged immediately, proved the trip was illegal.
Italian courts refuse to extradite anyone who may face the death penalty, so prosecutors have asked the U.S. to provide a written assurance that Gilley will not be sentenced to death if returned to Texas. Attorney Dick DeGuerin said the district attorney’s office has not formally filed the guarantee.
The Dallas District Attorney’s office responded that it would not pursue the death penalty, but officials have not yet submitted the required formal statement. DeGuerin added that the U.S. must confirm that Gilley would receive a sentence below life without parole.
Bauer’s body was transported to a hospital where a medical examiner found bruises and a broken jaw, evidence that contradicted Gilley’s claim of a fatal cardiac event. Two children were in the home at the time, and the family’s lawyer says the case has shattered the community.
The U.S. State Department is reviewing the extradition request, and a federal judge will hear the case on June 3. Until a formal assurance is provided, Italy will keep Gilley in custody.