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As Lee Gilley fights extradition from Italy to face a capital murder charge in the death of his pregnant wife, a disputed claim to the couple’s vacant Houston home has triggered a separate criminal investigation.
The Houston Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that officers responded to Gilley’s home in the 800 block of Allston Street around 6:30 p.m. June 17 after receiving a reported trespassing complaint. A man at the property told officers he had a right to be there and was willing to “go to court” to prove his claim, police said.
HPD contacted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which referred the dispute to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office as a civil matter. No criminal charges resulted from the initial police response.
The unusual property dispute surfaced months after authorities say Gilley cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled the United States ahead of his murder trial, leaving the Houston Heights home vacant.
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)
Records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Lee and Christa Gilley purchased the Allston Street property in 2018. However, PEOPLE magazine reported that a separate warranty deed signed May 8 and filed May 21 purported to transfer the home to Save a Life Houses LLC. Matthew Jackson signed the document as an authorized representative of the Missouri-based company, according to the outlet.
What police initially treated as a civil dispute later drew criminal scrutiny. Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen announced July 6 that his office had opened a criminal investigation into the attempted takeover.
TEXAS MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING PREGNANT WIFE ALLEGEDLY CUTS OFF ANKLE MONITOR AND FLEES TO ITALY
Rosen said no one was inside when investigators entered the home and nothing immediately appeared to have been stolen. Deputies removed newly installed surveillance cameras, paperwork from the windows and at least two boxes of potential evidence, KPRC reported. A locksmith also changed the locks.
Rosen said investigators were examining whether the property claim was connected to similar claims involving other vacant homes. The Harris County Attorney’s Office was also investigating the matter on the civil side, according to KPRC. Rosen did not publicly identify Jackson as a suspect, and no criminal charges have been announced in connection with the property.
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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)
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While Texas authorities investigated the disputed property claim, Gilley, 39, remained jailed in Italy.
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Gilley is charged with capital murder in the October 2024 death of Christa, who was nine weeks pregnant. The Harris County medical examiner’s office ruled her death a homicide caused by neck compression. Gilley has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have challenged that conclusion.
Federal investigators allege Gilley removed his ankle monitor May 1 and fled Texas before his scheduled trial. He later arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport using a false name and forged travel documents, according to court records, and was taken into custody by Italian authorities.
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
During a July 15 hearing before the Turin Court of Appeal, Gilley asked judges to block his return to the United States and said he was seeking protection in Italy for himself and his children, according to NBC News.
“I am seeking protection in Italy,” Gilley said, according to NBC News. “They want to punish me, and I am asking for protection for myself and my children.”
Gilley’s Italian attorney, Monica Grosso, told NBC News that Texas authorities had not provided a formal written guarantee that prosecutors would take the death penalty off the table. Grosso said the defense had instead received an embassy note offering assurances.
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Grosso also told NBC News that the defense believes Christa suffered from a blood disorder and that blood found in the couple’s bedroom was inconsistent with the prosecution’s account of her death.
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 the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
On July 20, the Turin court temporarily blocked the extradition request and sought additional assurances from the U.S. government regarding the death penalty and a possible sentence of life without parole, according to Italian court records obtained by KPRC.
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The court set an Aug. 31 deadline for a response and scheduled another hearing for early September, KPRC reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gilley’s attorney and the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office for comment.