Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #147 [Part One] - Accused Murderer Lee Gilley Uses ‘Fake’ Belgian Passport to Flee Country Ahead of Trial, Feds Say

Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode is brought to you by Nespresso. Hear that? That's your next obsession. Every coffee, a new world. Every sip, a new taste. This is the new Nespresso. One touch, endless possibilities. Iced, flavored, long, short. Because some days call for that espresso kick.

Starting point is 00:00:17 And sometimes, a smooth, silky latte just wins. It's exceptional but effortless. Like actually effortless. Simply press, brew and explore. Nispresso, what else? Keep exploring at nespresso.com. I don't know how long it will take for Krista Bauer-Gilley's family to get justice. But I am angry that the system has already failed the victims in this case

Starting point is 00:00:44 by allowing her accused killer out on bond and ignoring the warning signs that he would flee. Now that Lee Gilly is in Italy asking for asylum, and the eyes of the world are on this case, It is time for Texas authorities to change their laws and policies when it comes to bond for violent criminals. My name is Mandy Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption, previously known as the Murdoch Murders podcast. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production written with journalist Liz Pharrell. Hello and welcome back to another two-part True Sunlight podcast episode. Today we are going to talk about the latest breaking news in the Gilly case, our first good old boy

Starting point is 00:01:35 runaway in True Sunlight history, and on Friday, premium members can hear part two of this episode about the latest bombshell lawsuit to Rock Ory County PD. Part two will air on the public feed on Monday. So let's start out with the big news. Lee Gilly, the Houston man accused of murdering his wife Krista Bauer Gilly and their unborn baby on October 7, 2024, was caught in Milan, Italy, after fleeing the United States. The Houston Chronicle first reported the news on Monday evening, and yes, y'all, it's real.

Starting point is 00:02:12 Lee Gilley fled the country, while his $1 million bond conditions specifically restrict him from traveling outside of the state of Texas without permission from the court. And now he is asking for asylum in Italy. What's that expression? Give a good old boy an inch and he'll take a mile? In this case, the Harris County DA and judge

Starting point is 00:02:37 gave Lee Gilley entirely too much leeway. And yes, that pun was intended. Lee's great escape comes one month after the court granted Lee permission to travel to South Carolina to be with a sick mother who recently passed away. Is it possible that while on that trip, Lee maybe got a better idea of how little Texas authorities care to monitor him and maybe he realized he could go a lot further

Starting point is 00:03:06 than South Carolina. Well, that's likely because get this, on Friday, May 1st, three whole days before Texas authorities bothered to take note in Lee Gilley's case file that he was in fact MIA, Lee Gilley's ankle monitor alerted authorities that it had been tampered with. And what did they do? send officers to Lee's house or did they put out a Bolo notice for Lee to be arrested, since, you know, he's a capital murder defendant facing trial in just a few weeks. No, no, no, no, no, no. They simply called Lee Gilly on the phone on Friday. And surprise, surprise.

Starting point is 00:03:50 He didn't answer. The pretrial officer in charge of Lee Gilly's case then apparently decided to wait until Monday to tell the court that Lee's ankle monitor was not working, and as far as they knew, Lee was MIA. According to online court records, Judge Peyton Peoples then revoked Lee Gilley's bond and issued a warrant for his arrest. Lee's high-powered defense attorney, Dick DeGaron, told the Houston Chronicle Monday evening that prosecutors told him Lee apparently cut off his ankle monitor, flew to Canada, then to Milan, and was stopped by the Houston Chronicle Monday evening, that prosecutors told him, and was stopped by authorities in Milan on Sunday at the airport.

Starting point is 00:04:31 Gillie's attorney Dick DeGarren told Click to Houston that Italian authorities, quote, didn't believe Gilly's identification information. Lee then revealed his actual identity and told the Italians, he was, quote, being wrongfully persecuted in Texas, was subject to the death penalty and wanted asylum. They didn't believe Lee's identification information? Hmm, Lee Gilly? The Lee Gilly who prosecutor said described himself in this Reddit post while he was married to Krista.

Starting point is 00:05:06 33. M4F. That's male for female. Tall, white, handsome consultant seeking FWB. That's friends with benefits. Discrete. Clean. D.D.F. That's drug and disease free. College girls. Meet a few times per month. Need flexible hours. I can occasionally host downtown at my office. I'm 6'4, 185 pounds, handsome, with Northern European blood. In a bored marriage, I'm attracted to all healthy females, petite or curvy. I'm tight on time, so if you're interested in seeing, if we might vibe, please send a message with a pick of your hand, holding up your thumb and index finger.

Starting point is 00:06:13 Okay, wait, that legally had issues with the Italians believing his identity? Even with all that self-described, handsome Northern European blood? I would have thought from that disgusting dating ad that he would have fit right in there. Gosh, I wonder why I didn't. Oh, wait, I know why. On Tuesday, the United States Marshal's office filed a criminal complaint against Lee, along with an affidavit in support of charging him with interstate flight to avoid prosecution, a federal felony, which a U.S. magistrate judge signed off on.

Starting point is 00:06:49 And in that affidavit, Deputy U.S. Marshal Valour Heinrich gives us our first set of more in-depth details about how Lee was able to not just leave the United States, but also Canada, to get to Italy. Y'all, I need to introduce you to Lejeune Jean-Luc Olivier, the fake Belgian. According to the federal complaint, Lee used identification documents that were found to be false and forged. He was rejected entry to Italy at the airport and taken into immigration custody to be deported. It was when he was awaiting deportation that Lee was all, okay, fine. It's me, Lee Gilley from Texas, and asked for asylum. Lejeune, Jean-Luc, Olivier, y'all. It's too much. It's too much. And where did he get this

Starting point is 00:07:39 faker forge passport? So, in addition to some very dubious timing issues on the part of the county agency that took days to inform officials about Lee's GPS monitoring, giving off a tamper alert. There are other timeline issues contained in this criminal complaint. The major one is that Lee apparently got to Italy on Sunday. And that evening, at 8.40 p.m., Interpol in Rome reached out to Interpol in Washington, D.C. But Harris County prosecutors didn't learn of his whereabouts until Monday afternoon. Bureaucracy is something, right? And wow, I think we're about to really find out just how bad bureaucracy is as Texas tries to get him back from the Italians.

Starting point is 00:08:23 In the meantime, let's talk about flea. Flee gilly, aka. Flea. Ligley-Gilley, aka Lejeune Jean-Luc Olivier, aka alleged murderer turned fugitive, and his tricky little gamble to get Texas to promise Italy that they won't kill him. It would have been really nice if Krista had gotten the opportunity to leave the country to save her life and the life of the child she was caring. No? But sure, Lee June, you throw your international tantrum. Now, prosecutors have never said

Starting point is 00:08:55 whether they are seeking the death penalty in Lee's capital murder case. But it's possible that Lee is using his status as a capital murder defendant to his advantage in Italy, which is a sick thing to say. Lee likely chose Italy for a good reason, despite how stupid this looks.

Starting point is 00:09:13 He didn't even make it out of the airport. work. But here's the thing. Italy does not extradite defendants who could face the death penalty. Under Article 698 of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure, quote, extradition is forbidden unless the requesting nation provides guarantees that the death penalty will not be imposed or will not be carried out. Bryce Newberry of Click 2 Houston News reported that an FBI agent in Rome had called prosecutor Lauren barred around 1230 on Monday afternoon and alerted her that Gilly was in Italian custody after he was caught with fake documents, claiming he wanted asylum, which is when the FBI and Rome got involved. It is not clear, but it appears as though the DA's office was aware that Gilly was in Italy

Starting point is 00:10:00 before pre-trial services had alerted the court that Gilly had cut off his ankle monitor a few days before and they still hadn't located him. Pre-trial services is the Harris County agency in charge of supervising defendants awaiting trial. According to the county records, pretrial services has an almost $30 million budget. In 2025, they had more than 79,000 new cases referred to them. In addition to the money they received from the county, defendants are charged a daily fee for their GPS monitors. According to court records, Lee was ordered to pay $6 a day, for his monitor that he apparently cut off his ankle. Lunashark reporter Beth Braden called pretrial services on Wednesday to get more information

Starting point is 00:10:44 about the department and where the breakdown was with Lee. The person who answered the phone there said that they do not comment on cases they're supervising, which is hilarious because this is clearly a case they were not supervising, but semantics, I guess. Apparently, officials from pretrial services say it's their typical policy to not immediately alert the court, right after an ankle monitor has been tampered with, they usually take 24 to 48 hours to alert the court. But in this case, Lee's monitor was tampered with on Friday night, and apparently no one in Harris County, Texas,

Starting point is 00:11:18 cares about accused murderers getting loose on the weekends. So they waited until Monday the next business day to file a notice with the court. Judge Peebles apparently had already heard about Lee's big flee by the time pre-trial services got around to notifying him, and Bond was already revoked. But here's the thing, because too much leeway Gilly managed to get halfway around the world to a country that prohibits extradition for people facing the death penalty. This is no longer a simple go arrest him and throw him in jail situation, meaning international law has now entered the chat in the Gilly case and it's hard to tell what will happen next. However, the DA's office confirmed with us on Tuesday that the trial is still set to begin June 5th.

Starting point is 00:12:03 But that seems like wishful thinking on their part. Because the Justice Department estimates that extradition often takes several months to a year. The DOJ website says, quote, once the extradition request is submitted to the foreign government, the United States does not control the pace of the proceedings. Even if there are no immediate legal impediments to extradition, it may take months or even many years for the extradition request to be heard by the courts and for the executive authority to make a surrender decision. And with the trial day just a few weeks away,

Starting point is 00:12:37 pre-trial matters are already piling up. On Tuesday, the court was supposed to hear arguments from the defense about suppressing evidence in this case, which we will talk about in a minute. But according to reporter Bryce Newberry of Click to Houston, the scheduled hearing turned into more of a, what just happened and what happens next, meeting between the defense and prosecution.

Starting point is 00:13:02 According to Bryce's reporting, Judge Payton Peebles said the trial date of June 5th still stands, but it could change depending on Lee's return and if either side needs more time. In court Tuesday, Dick DeGaron asked Judge Peebles not to forfeit Lee's $1 million bond because Gillies family members would suffer. And that is according to Bryce Newberry's reporting.

Starting point is 00:13:28 In court, According to Newberry, Dick DeGarren claimed that the bondsmen who helped the Gilly family post the $1 million bond would, quote, be very aggressive in seizing the property they put up as collateral for the bond. Dick argued that it would be a, quote, terrible hardship on the Gilly family. Peebles did not decide on the bond forfeiture but said he would make a decision by the end of the week. But Gilly's bond conditions were clear.

Starting point is 00:13:59 He was required to submit to GPS monitoring, surrender his passport. He could not contact any member of Christ's family, including their two children, and he had to stay within the state of Texas unless otherwise authorized to leave. Gilly signed that bond paperwork that stated, quote, failure to abide by these bond conditions may result in the defendant's bond being forfeited or revoked in the defendant being arrested and confined. In addition, disobeying this order could constitute contempt, which is punishable by a maximum penalty of a fine of no more than $5,000 in confinement in jail of up to six months or both. And like I said, you give a spoiled good old boy an inch they take a mile, or 5,469 miles, as it were.

Starting point is 00:14:52 Because, I mean, y'all, the audacity of Dick DeGaron with this. Your capital murder client cut his ankle monitor off and fled Texas, then fled the United States, then fled to Canada, to show up in Milan, Italy, of all places, where he is now making this a much more costly and annoying endeavor for everyone. He betrayed his family. He caused them pain. They put their faith in him, and they put their property on the line, trusting that he, a man accused of killing his wife an unborn child wouldn't do wrong by them.

Starting point is 00:15:33 That was a risk that they took willingly. Also, that million dollars is what allowed Lee to be at home this entire time. Were it not for the million dollar bond, Lee would have had to spend this entire time in jail awaiting trial, and Christ's family would not have to fight this hard for justice. So, I'm sorry, but boo, Who? The bondsman is aggressive? You don't say. Literally, the one stereotype of bondsmen that we all know is that they're aggressive. It's so frustrating watching a very privileged man

Starting point is 00:16:10 tried to change every law to suit him despite what he's accused of doing. If bondsmen weren't aggressive, they would make zero dollars. Duh, dick. More on that after a quick commercial break, and we'll be right back. for supporting our mission to give voice to victims by watching Hulu's Murdoch death in the family. We have been hard at work for weeks curating Soak Up the Sun Premium content to go with each of the eight episodes. We are so excited to share the behind-the-scenes photos from the show, maps, more audio, timelines, case files, and the original source material that inspired the writers and directors for Hulu's original series. All for our Soak Up the Sun members on Luna Shark Premium.

Starting point is 00:17:07 Use your Supercast login to get access to the full experience. That means ad-free, plus extended episodes, bonus drops, exclusive case files, live streams, access to our exclusive members-only shows like Girl Talk, Corruption Watch List, Premium Dives, and more. Plus, curated behind-the-scenes coverage of the Hulu series. Join our mission and become a member today at lunashark.supercast or click the link in the description. Now, you might be asking the big question here. How did a capital murder defendant get bond in the first place? I looked back to our old episodes and went through court documents to find this answer again. I thought that the answer to this question would be Dick DeGarren, the Big Buck lawyer known for defending Robert Durst, as much as one can defend Robert Durst.

Starting point is 00:18:08 But actually, no, Dick wasn't hired on this case until after, leave him. Lee Gillie got bond. It looks like the answer is Texas is actually not at all tough on crime like they claimed to be, especially when it comes to prosecuting good old white boys like Lee Gilley, and especially when it comes to prosecuting crimes against women. To us, it didn't look like the prosecution fought this bond much at all. When we looked back on the documents in this case, the state actually recommended a bond of 3 million without the defense even asking for a bond. That was weird. The state did file a motion

Starting point is 00:18:49 for sufficient bail on October 17, 2024. I'll have David read that because it really matters now. Aggravating facts, specific to the nature of the case. The defendant is accused of the capital murder of his wife and unborn child in the family home while the couple's two young children were also in the home. In the commission of the strangulation capital murder, the defendant caused significant trauma to the face of the complainant, including two black eyes, patiquial hemorrhaging to the eyelids and chin,

Starting point is 00:19:29 redness to the sclera and bulging eyes, visible discoloration and swelling to the eyes and cheeks, extensive hemorrhaging to the muscle tissue in her, her upper back between her shoulder blades and fracture of the hyoid bone. Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 17.15, the nature of the offense and the circumstances under which the offense was committed are to be considered, as should, the future safety to the community, which includes the complainant's two young children. The defendant also has significant ties out of state and sufficient means to flee the jurisdiction.

Starting point is 00:20:16 Those details matter now because this is a man the state of Texas didn't bother checking on when his ankle monitor alerted him. A man who, they say, is capable of violently strangling his pregnant wife to death while their children were just mere feet away. A man who should be considered a danger to all women. Sufficient means to flee the jurisdiction, by the way, is an understatement, like, I would not be surprised to find out he paid for a live flat seat to Milan. Anyway, according to reports, the defense wanted Lee's bond to be only $200,000, which is interesting because in his initial bond hearing, probable cause hearing, on October 12th, the state pushed for bond, and Lee's public defender asked for a $50,000 bond. So we're not clear on what changed there.

Starting point is 00:21:03 It's likely that when the state gained more information about who Lee Gilli is and what Krista's body was telling investigators about what he had allegedly done to her, they were probably like oops, but also in what world of prosecutors recommending bond for a capital murder defendant? Ultimately, the judge decided on a $1 million surety bond, and you can see how well that worked out. Way back in episode 71, we pointed out a big flaw for the Harris County DA and pre-trial services. They gave Lee Gilli a curfew and ordered for him to be home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., but They didn't say where his home was, nor did they tell the public where he would be staying. At the time, Lee's children were living in the family home with Christa's parents, who had to leave their home in business in South Carolina.

Starting point is 00:21:50 Last year, the court allowed them to bring Krista's young children to live with them in South Carolina, though. But how was the state going to make sure Lee was abiding by his curfew if the court didn't even have an address of where they were supposed to check on him? Sloppy. It's actually worse than sloppy. It's reckless. This is a capital murder defendant. There are no excuses for being sloppy when it comes to a capital murder defendant. None. Especially if said defendant is out there trying to meet the next Mrs. Gillie.

Starting point is 00:22:18 But no wonder pretrial service is called Lee Gilli on May 1st when his monitor alerted them, they probably never had an address to check on him because sloppy. Now, the other thing that is really frustrating here is that everyone saw this coming. Back in 2024, the DA mentioned specifically that Lee Gilley had significant out-of-state ties and the means to flee the jurisdiction. Remember, among the factors that judges look at when they're deciding on what bond should be is whether you're a flight risk. Also in 2024, while Krista's parents fought to bring stability to the lives of their two

Starting point is 00:22:55 now motherless grandchildren, Lee's family made their lives more difficult, in our opinions. Lee's brother and his wife intervened in the country. custody case, with Lee's blessing, and for a time, the Bowers had to battle it out in court to be the children's guardians. Eventually, the court agreed that the best course of action was for the kids to move to South Carolina while their father awaited trial for killing their mother and unborn sibling. In an affidavit, Christ's father Christopher provided a heartbreaking account of the morning of October 8th when they found out their pregnant 38-year-old daughter was dead, and they heard from an official at Heights Hospital.

Starting point is 00:23:32 Not Lee, the man who vowed to protect and love their daughter, but a stranger at a place where she was just a body. Christopher tried calling Lee when he found this out. Instead of picking up the phone and telling his father-in-law what he knew about Krista's death, Lee sent an email telling him that Krista was dead and expressing concerns about being charged with her murder. Here's David reading Christopher's affidavit. Eventually, Lee finally returned my calls, and he was animated, not sorrowful.

Starting point is 00:24:05 Lee's main concern was the likelihood that he would face criminal prosecution. He mentioned fleeing from Texas with the children. Hear that? Lee Gilley's main concern was criminal prosecution, and he told his father-in-law that he was fleeing Texas with the children. And one more thing from Christopher. for Bauer's affidavit. David? Directly following Christa's death,

Starting point is 00:24:32 Lee's only concern was self-preservation, not about the children or how the loss of their mother would impact them. Instead, he was focused on fleeing Houston and told me so when we talked. He said he was going to give the family dog who the children love and is an emotional support to them to a neighbor. His focus was not his children or the loss of his wife, just how he would fare in all of this. I'm sorry, what?

Starting point is 00:25:10 What kind of alleged monster thinks about giving the family dog away after the mother of your two children just died? Again, Lee was even more clear about his ambitions to flee to Christ's own father. And still, Harris County officials did nothing to stop him. And that is not even the end of the warning signs they ignored. In an April 14th court notice, District Attorney Jana Oswald documented multiple incidents in which Lee Gilley, prior to being charged with murder, had told witnesses that he had plans to flee the country. On October 8th, the day after Krista was killed, by the way, Lee, or maybe we should start calling him, and flee told family friends that he intended to flee or leave the country and that this situation,

Starting point is 00:26:02 aka his wife's murder, was a setup. He told them that he was being targeted, but apparently didn't say by who, and he said, quote, that he needed to take care of himself by leaving. According to court records, Lee, quote, reiterated his intent to leave the country while also expressing concern for his children. Oh, how thoughtful of him. Two days later, on October 10th, he told the same family that he was going to flee to South Carolina and that he planned on leaving on October 12th. Alas, those plans were thwarted by his arrest on October 11th. He spent eight days in jail before getting bond. Oh, and at his first bond hearing, he just stood up and said,

Starting point is 00:26:51 I'd like to have a bond, please. Like, he was owed it. And there's more. He gave away more hints about his plans. After he was indicted in April 2024 for the murder of his wife and unborn baby, Lee Gilley apparently communicated with his former mistress while he was out on bond. Let me have David read this verbatim what it says in the court records. In these communications, the defendant,

Starting point is 00:27:21 The defendant discussed plans to flee to Mexico and other countries. The defendant stated that he could remove his GPS monitor and provided a detailed plan to do so. The defendant also discussed the possibility of marriage in order to obtain a new identity. The defendant also inquired as to whether she knew of a Mexican identity he could acquire to facilitate date his departure from the country. So, I mean, it seems pretty clear to us. He was a flight risk. Signor Lee Gilly.

Starting point is 00:28:02 Ugh, sorry. Senorri Lee Gilly literally told on himself over and over and over. And he escalated it, too. First, it was just, I'm leaving Texas. Then it's, I'm going to leave the country. Then it's to ask the court for permission to drive to South Carolina by himself to celebrate Thanksgiving, which the court wisely denied. Then it was to ask the court for permission to drive to South Carolina by himself to be with his mother in her final days, which the court approved.

Starting point is 00:28:29 Lee returned to Texas after that, so maybe that gave the prosecution a false sense of security there, but with all the talking about fleeing, why didn't the DA ever motion to revoke his bond? Because after that, it escalated to cutting off the GPS monitor that his family signed their property away for him to get. Oh, and here's something very interesting. According to Bryce Newberry with Click 2 Houston News, Judge Peebles was very upset with pretrial services and the delay between them finding out Lee's GPS monitor was sending out a tamper alert and them informing the court about this.

Starting point is 00:29:04 The judge wasn't irritated for just the obvious reasons either. According to Newberry's reporting, the judge actually said that he had spoken with pretrial services before this in connection to another situation with Lee. It's unclear what that situation was, but it could have been when the court granted Lee permission to leave the state. The judge said that he had explicitly told pretrial services to call him any time, day or night, on his personal cell phone for any aberrations in Lee Gilley's GPS monitoring.

Starting point is 00:29:32 And despite Lee fleeing to Italy being a different situation from the one that prompted the judge to give those instructions in the first place, the judge said common sense should have applied here. And he's right, because had pre-trial services called Judge Peeble, on Friday evening, it's highly likely Lee wouldn't have made it to his Sunday flight to Italy, and this mess wouldn't be happening. So, on April 21st, Lee's attorneys had filed a motion to suppress evidence that we need to talk about. I'm assuming this motion would have been heard on Tuesday had Lee not fled the country. But alas, here we are.

Starting point is 00:30:09 Unsure when any of this will be heard, now that the defendant is in Italy, and unsure the trial will actually happen in June or even this year. But let's talk about that motion to suppress because it's concerning. Here's David with what Lee Gilley is trying to keep from the jury. The police in this case wanted to interrogate the defendant regarding the events that transpired before his wife's death. They handcuffed him, placed him in the back of a police car, and drove him downtown to the police station. They escorted him out of the police car and into an interrogation room, all, while he was still handcuffed.

Starting point is 00:30:50 The detective in this case then interrogated the defendant. No one ever read the defendant his Miranda rights, as required by Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 38.22. At no point during this episode did the defendant feel he was free to leave police custody. No reasonable person in his or her right mind would, believe themselves to be free from police custody in this situation. Because the defendant was interrogated while in custody without having been read his Miranda warnings, any statements he gave to the police were illegally obtained and should therefore be suppressed.

Starting point is 00:31:37 Okay, so if that's true, what do you mean they handcuffed him and didn't read him as Miranda rights before questioning him? Because here's what's worrisome there. If this is when Lee told police that Krista had OD on drugs and killed herself, then that is a pretty important piece of evidence that I would think the prosecution needs to build their case. It's the big lie. He basically workshopped a death theory to buy himself time, and during that time he allegedly expressed to multiple people that he was going to flee. And the thing is, even if that big lie is thrown out of evidence, which would be even more proof of the Houston police failing to take crimes against women seriously, he has only left with more lies.

Starting point is 00:32:17 when we found that weird website advocating for Lee's freedom that many suspected was created by his mother who recently died, the website claimed a polygraph examination that Lee paid for proved his innocence. Except when we looked through the results and Lee's answers, it still looked like he lied to us. While attempting to explain why Krista had bruises on her face and ruptured blood vessels when she was found unresponsive on the night of October 7, 2024, Lee told the polygrapher that she, quote, had previously suffered an incident of hemoglobin. anemia. The report says, quote, Mr. Gilly asserted to investigators she had previously suffered an incident of hemoglobin anemia. Lee also said, quote, in 2023, Krista had a medical episode of

Starting point is 00:33:00 hemoglobin anemia where the blood cells don't transport oxygen, which caused her to be hospitalized. But see, that's not true. Krista's family members told us she never had hemoglobin anemia. And in fact, the DA has a different hypothesis for Krista's 2020 medical incident that she became ill specifically after Lee made her a meal, as in she was possibly poisoned. And when asked to explain himself to the polygrapher, as to what happened that night on October 7th, 2024, they told a story that just didn't make sense. Here is David reading the polygrapher's report of what Lee said. Mr. Gilly identified the alleged victim in his case as his wife Krista Gilley. He stated on October 7th, 2024, he took the children to school,

Starting point is 00:33:52 went to work, and also purchased a new car all in the same day. Upon learning he had purchased the vehicle, Krista became upset and after he returned home, she yelled at him in front of the children. After helping bathe the children and putting them to bed, Krista went to sleep in their bedroom, and Mr. Gilly continuing working on the couch in the living room until 11 or 11.30 p.m. Thereafter, he walked into the bedroom and observed her laying diagonally face up in their king-size bed. According to Mr. Gilly, quote, I turned on a light. She looked just terrible, with the sheets bunched up on her and she wasn't responding, end quote. Mr. Gilly stated he called 911 and perfect.

Starting point is 00:34:42 formed CPR on Krista while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Imagine telling this story to a jury. This man got into a fight with his wife and then three hours later found her bruised and bloody in their bed. In their one story, Houston Heights Ranch, without hearing any odd noises? The jury is supposed to believe that she was just suddenly dead. The wife that Lee Gilley had allegedly cheated on, just died like that, without warning? Huh, we know that the prosecution has subpoenaed for the camera footage in the house, which should, hopefully, provide indisputable evidence on whether or not anyone else

Starting point is 00:35:28 entered the Gillies home that evening. We also know that there have been several subpoenas to get Krista's medical records, and that should tell a much clearer story about whether or not she was poisoned. in the months leading up to her death. And we'll be right back. Now, Lee's attorney, Dick DeGarren, has said on the record this week that he's concerned the prosecution is going to use Lee's big trip to Italy as consciousness of guilt,

Starting point is 00:35:59 meaning that the prosecution is going to assert that Lee knows he's guilty of the crimes he's accused of committing, and that's why he cut his ankle monitor and left the country. DeGaron, who seemed to be full of information for the Texas press this week, also claimed that he was shocked by Lee's Italian adventure and said he had not spoken to his client since Sunday via email. Was Lee emailing his attorney from the airport? Or did he get free Wi-Fi on the plane?

Starting point is 00:36:27 Hmm. Dick's interpretation of Lee's decision to flee is simply that Lee has been wrongfully accused and is scared. Again, we say boo-hoo. Lee isn't scared, he's arrogant, because only an arrogant man would allegedly discuss post-murder marriage as part of his plan for new identity. By the way, can you imagine what Lee's Google searches look like in the lead-up to this flight to Italy? We need to see those.

Starting point is 00:36:55 Also, not for nothing, but we have to talk about how Lee has joined the metaphorical Wall of fame of Dick DeGarren's career. We have yet another post-retirement age attorney, a la Dick Harpuvian, taking on a client a la. Murdoch, whose entitled behavior and antics are going to end up defining his legacy. Because, of course, Lee hired the guy who represented Robert Durst, the cookey millionaire murderer who was so sure he was accountability proof that he allowed documentarians to follow him around with cameras only to accidentally admit to his killings on a hot mic. And of course, Lee hired the guy who represented David Koresh, the pedophile cult leader who who engaged in a standoff with the U.S. government for 51 days in 1993.

Starting point is 00:37:46 Koresh's mother hired Dick during the standoff, and Dick tried multiple times to negotiate Koresh's surrender, telling law enforcement that Koresh just needed a little more time to finish his religious writings. Kresh never surrendered, and 86 people, including him, and including 46 children, were killed. I wonder if Lee specifically shopped for an attorney who seemed like he'd be okay with some shenanigans.

Starting point is 00:38:10 Lee probably looked at Durst and Karash and thought about what he could do, that would be different, fresher. Like, hold my peroni. I'm about to make Dick de Garron learn some international extradition law. Speaking of, let's talk more about the extradition laws of Italy and Lee's decision to claim asylum. First, like we said, prosecutors have never declared this a death penalty case. Yes, it's a charge that includes the death penalty as potential punishment. But that's not something they can spring on Lee. The trial is in a few weeks.

Starting point is 00:38:41 If they wanted to pursue the death penalty, it seems to us like they would have already signaled that. So that raises a question of what now? Because to bring Lee back to the states, Texas will have to promise Italy that it will not seek the death penalty against Lee. And this is annoying to us because even though this was already likely going to be the situation, that the prosecution wasn't seeking the death penalty, and even though neither of us are particularly pro-death penalty. Although, if ever there was a time for it, it should be when men are proven to have killed their wives and unborn babies and lied about it. The whole thing just seems unfair. You're telling me that Lee Gillick can basically blackmail our country into doing what he wants.

Starting point is 00:39:26 He can buy his way into a promise that no other capital murder defendant in Texas can likely afford. Again, I am no death penalty advocate, but Texas is Texas. And Lee is a manosphere bro, where men like him sit around and make rules of conduct for everyone else but themselves, while giving zero cares about an unjust legal system. Oh, and the even more annoying thing here is that Lee is probably so proud of himself for thinking of this. So we looked into this a little, and Lee's strategy here is very rare, as you can imagine. There was only one case we could find that closely resembled Lee's, which means it's time for

Starting point is 00:40:05 us to talk about the unicorn killer. I'm not even kidding, y'all. That was what this guy was known as. His real name was Ira Einhorn. And in 1977, Ira's ex-girlfriend, Holly Maddox, went to his apartment in Philadelphia to get back some of her belongings. That was the last time she was known to be alive. In 1979, 18 months later, Holly's body was found in Ira's closet, buried in a trunk. Ira was questioned by police because, duh, and he told them that Holly had left his apartment to go by tofu and sprouts at the neighborhood co-op, which is almost more offensive than saying she killed herself honestly. Anyway, Ira was arrested and charged with murder, and then released on Bell while awaiting trial, because why not? You see where I'm going, right? Now, Ira was called

Starting point is 00:40:59 the unicorn killer because his last name, Einhorn, means unicorn. Which, why are we giving men who kill women cool nicknames? I mean, honestly, when I hear unicorn killer, I want it to be a badass woman in a my little pony costume using her magic horn to exact vigilante justice on monsters. Not a dumpy-looking man with a ponytail who apparently had no problem killing his ex-girlfriend and living with her decomposing body for 18 months.

Starting point is 00:41:26 That guy should just be called Ira. So, Ira. His attorney was Arlen Specter. You know, the guy from the Warren Camphor, who came up with the single bullet theory of JFK's assassination, the former district attorney of Pennsylvania, the state senator in Pennsylvania, the future U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, who was running for governor around the time he was representing IRA. You know, no biggie. It was Earl Inspector who got Ira out on a $40,000 bond, or really $4,000, which was apparently

Starting point is 00:41:59 paid by a socialite in Montreal, who was into ghosts, just like Ira. So, in 1981, literally days before his murder trial and helped by his socialite benefactor, Ira fled to Europe. He was on the lamb for 17 years, y'all. Of course, this was before facial recognition technology and, well, the internet. It must have been super easy back then to pretend like murdering someone wasn't something you should be punished for. Back home, Ira was tried in absentia and found guilty in 1996. He was finally caught in 1997 in France. Ira had married a Swedish woman and changed his first name to Eugene with an accent mark and his last name to Malin, which is the same last name as Chai Ford Mary, but I digress. To me, the accent mark was a really interesting choice for a fugitive

Starting point is 00:42:51 murderer. Now, you would think that old Ira would have given up when he was caught in 1997, but no. He made it difficult on everyone. He was jailed for six months while the U.S. and France figured out his extradition. Then, when the battle waged on for longer than that, he was placed on house arrest. His core argument for remaining in France was that he would be sentenced to death. But he wasn't. Remember, he was tried in absentia in 1996. He was sentenced to life in prison, not death. But Ira was still able to use Pennsylvania's death penalty system to his advantage, delaying the process. His case went to the European Court for Human Rights, which ruled that Pennsylvania not only had to promise France that they would not sentence Ira to death, they had to

Starting point is 00:43:50 hold a whole new trial for him. For Ira, the guy who broke the law by fleeing the country. Dozens of members of the United States Congress appealed to the French president to intervene, but the president respected the Constitution's separation of powers and let the courts decide. So what had to happen to get old Ira back to the United States? Pennsylvania had to pass a law, a literal law, called the Einhorn Law. Two nicknames. This guy has two things named after him. It is sick.

Starting point is 00:44:28 The Einhorn Law enacted in 1998 made it so that defendants tried in absentia, meaning defendants who don't show up for trial, can request a new trial after being found guilty, which means Ira was being extradited back to the States, right? No, he wasn't. It took three more years after that for Ira to be extradited. Ira got his second trial, per the Einhorn. law. And like Ehrlich Murdoch took the stand in his own defense, where he told the court that his

Starting point is 00:45:05 ex-girlfriend, Holly Maddox, was murdered by the CIA. He said agents were attempting to set him up. Hmm, sounds familiar, right? Because of his interest in the paranormal. He was found guilty again and sent to prison for life. He died in 2020. But can you believe this story? It took 20 years to get that guy's butt back in America. Luckily, Flea Gillies' situation is a bit more expedited because he was caught with what we only know at this point to be fake documents. Stay tuned to see if Lee Gilley dyed his hair, y'all. Again, Lee got caught at the airport. So, no Swedish wife and no new identity for Lee.

Starting point is 00:45:45 But it's not entirely clear what happens next. Is it simply that Texas has to say, sure, for Mr. Gilli will make the promise not to seek the death penalty that we already weren't seeking for him in the murder of his wife and unborn child? Or is this about to become an international five-alarm tabloid drama? So far, the Daily Mail has been quiet, but just wait until the Italians find out he's accused of killing an unborn fetus. Bad move choosing to flee to an ultra-Catholic country, dummy. This whole thing is beyond surreal, y'all. Leave it to us to be following a case that has a dramatic second-act twist. While this isn't quite as salacious as Eleg Murdoch telling a nine-one,

Starting point is 00:46:28 operator the entire backstory of how he came to need their assistance on a remote highway before telling him that he was shot in the head. It's kind of the same thing. A privileged white man-child doing the absolute extra most rather than face himself and own up to his alleged sins. But just like with Ehrlich's so-called roadside shooting incident, we are eagerly awaiting the details of Lee Gillies' big trip to Italy. We want every detail of what his life has been like in an Italian jail. And we want video of what happened when he claimed asylum at a security checkpoint. I mean, that had to hold up the line, right?

Starting point is 00:47:11 The real tragedy here that we have to talk about is that Krista's death and the deference given to her alleged killer is not an anomaly in Houston, Texas. I have read hundreds of comments responding to my post about Lee Gilli on Instagram and threads, in the past few days. In the overwhelming sentiment I see in those comments are people who are furious, but not at all surprised. I want to read one comment that really stuck out to me. It said, quote, as a Houstonian woman who works in healthcare, I'm here to warn anyone thinking of relocating here for work. There are so many women who die here. In the judges do nothing, there are bodies being pulled out of the bayou. You will not be protected anywhere, not home, not work, not in a

Starting point is 00:48:01 courthouse. Those of us who are stuck here are trying to find a way out. That was a bleak warning, but she's not wrong. Last year, a Texas County Sheriff's Office accessed a network of 83,000 license plate readers just to locate a woman who had a self-managed abortion. Yes, cops in the same state went to that extent, searching thousands of license plate readers all over the country, simply to track down a woman who had an abortion. And with Lee Gilley, a capital murder defendant accused of killing both his wife and unborn baby, he was allowed to cut off his ankle monitor and fly to two different countries before anyone bothered to even look for him. Femicide in the United States is real, and the war.

Starting point is 00:48:53 on women in Houston, Texas is real. And it's getting worse. Since Saturday, in Harris County, Texas alone, two women and two children were killed in two separate domestic violence incidents. On Saturday, Jose Archimedes-Ramero allegedly killed his partner, Yenira Naffin, while the couple's three young children were at home. On Monday evening, T. Mitchell and her two children were found dead alongside her husband, who was suspected to have killed the family before killing himself. According to the Houston Area Women's Center, one in four Houston homicides in 2024, the year Krista was killed, was caused by domestic violence. And the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States is homicide. Again, Krista's case is tragically not unique.

Starting point is 00:49:47 Her supporters have created a social media page on Facebook and Instagram to remind the world of the light that Christa shined, and to advocate for justice in her case, and to raise awareness for domestic violence victims, encouraging followers to wear purple every Tuesday to show their support. On the one-year anniversary of Christa's death, her friends wrote a letter on the Justice for Krista page, and I want to read a part of it so y'all can get a sense of just how much love and strength this community is building in Christ's name. It says, we've missed you so deeply. The last year has been a blur.

Starting point is 00:50:25 Heartache and shock and love and learning all tangled together at once. We wish we had told you every single thing we loved about you while you were still here. We wish we had asked all the questions we now regret not asking. We wish we had been able to protect you and your babies and shield you from the evil of this world. Your babies have grown so much, they are perfect, they miss you. But please know they are loved beyond measure. Their Lala and Papa are extraordinary, doing everything in their power to protect them and give them a year filled with love,

Starting point is 00:50:59 gentleness, and the kind of magic that only exists in childhood. They wear purple every Tuesday for you. We speak your name often, reminding them how much you love them and still do. You'd be so proud. We are loving them as fiercely as we can, knowing nothing Nothing could ever match your love, but refusing to let us stop from trying. And we will keep fighting for you, for your babies, for those who can't fight for themselves. We will remember the lessons you taught us, the love you gave us, and we will turn them into good.

Starting point is 00:51:32 We will speak your name and work to fill the immense space your death left behind. We will never stop fighting and never stop loving for you. One year down, and we are just getting started. always the purple ladies. Our team here at True Sunlight won't stop fighting either, no matter how many twists and turns this case will take. Again, please follow the Justice for Krista Page and show your support for the Bauer family

Starting point is 00:52:02 by wearing purple every Tuesday. If you are experiencing abuse, you are not alone and help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7-2. or text start to 88788 to get help now. We'll have part two of this episode for premium members tomorrow with the latest on ORI County, Please, and part two will hit the public feeds on Monday morning.

Starting point is 00:52:33 Until then, stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Lunar Shark production created by me, Mandy Matney, co-hosted and reported by journalist Liz Farrell. Research support provided by Beth Braden. Audio production support provided by Jamie Hoffman and Grace Hills. Case file management provided by Kate Thomas. Learn more about our mission and membership at LunaSharkMedia.com. Interruptions provided by Luna and Joe Pesky.

Starting point is 00:53:21 The justice system can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. We all want a drink from the same cup of justice, and it starts with learning about our legal system. My name is Mandy Matney, and together with journal, Liz Ferrell and world-renowned attorney Eric Bland, we create the perfect trifecta of legal expertise, journalistic integrity, and a fire lit to expose the truth wherever it leads. We all encounter a part of our justice systems at one point, so why not get prepared while being entertained with tales from the newsroom and the courtroom?

Starting point is 00:54:02 Cup of Justice has amazing special guests like Cheryl Crow, Vinipolitan, Emily D. Baker, and other experts to share their take on the bright side of the truth. Luna Shark Media invites you to gain knowledge, insight and tools to hold your own or hold public agencies accountable. Search for Cup of Justice wherever you get your podcast or visit cup of justice pod.com.

Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #147 [Part One] - Accused Murderer Lee Gilley Uses ‘Fake’ Belgian Passport to Flee Country Ahead of Trial, Feds Say

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.