Texas man who fled to Italy after arrest in pregnant wife’s murder tells judge he’s innocent

U.S. newsTexas man who fled to Italy after arrest in pregnant wife’s murder tells judge he’s innocentLee Gilley’s wife, 38-year-old Christa Gilley, was found unresponsive in the couple’s Houston home on Oct. 7, 2024, authorities said.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Lee Gilley at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston, Texas, in 2024.Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 11, 2026, 12:59 PM EDTBy Minyvonne Burke and Michele NovagaA Texas man who cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Europe using a fake name and passport after he was accused of strangling his pregnant wife in 2024 told a courtroom in Italy that he is innocent. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Lee Gilley, who is seeking asylum in Italy, appeared Monday at the Palace of Justice for a hearing in connection with his May 3 arrest in Milan. Turin Court of Appeals Judge Marta Sterpos asked Gilley whether he consented to extradition to the U.S. or wanted the international protection application process to proceed. “I do not consent,” Gilley told the judge, before making unsolicited statements about his wife’s death. “My wife is dead, and they wrongly blamed me. That’s why I no longer have faith in the justice system. I am innocent. I did not kill my wife,” he said. “The only crime I committed was fleeing. I fled to avoid being killed. I went to great lengths to escape and seek protection in Italy.” Gilley’s wife, Christa Gilley, 38, was found unresponsive in the couple’s Houston home on Oct. 7, 2024, after police received a call about a suicide, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the hospital the following day, according to court documents. Hospital staff noticed bruising and “apparent trauma to her face,” police previously said. Her death was determined to be a homicide due to compression of the neck. An autopsy revealed that she was about eight weeks pregnant at the...