Unseen - The ‘Stranger’ in the House | The Case of Leslie Preer | UNSEEN

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

https://shopify.com/unseen - “I’m very dry right now” - On May 2nd, 2001, police are dispatched to the Preer residence in Chevy Chase, Maryland, for a welfare check: Leslie Preer hasn't shown up to work, and her husband, Sandy, can’t find her in their blood-splattered home. But when the officer enters, it only takes him five minutes to find Leslie's lifeless body in the shower. Immediately, Sandy Preer becomes the prime suspect in his wife's murder. And. for years, he remains the only one, until 23 years later when two detectives reopen the cold case with a new perspective: what if Sandy was innocent? - Credits: Director, editor & co-writer: Maxime Desrochers Researcher & co-writer: Manon Lafosse Voiceover: William Akana Producer: Salim Sader Assistant editor: Hannah Alicbusan Distribution coordinator: Kat Gardilcic - Sources: Getty Images “First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder” 20/20: ABC News Productions, 2025. “A Perfect Spring Morning” Dateline NBC: NBC Telemundo, 2025. (Peacock Productions) “Prime Crime: Murdered Mom’s Mystery Killer Caught 23 Years Later”, Law&Crime Network, 2025. “Water Bottle Nails Cold-Blooded Killer for Shocking Murder”, Law&Crime Network, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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of being involved with any of this? I don't know. I wish I could tell you. For 23 years, this man has managed to fool the police. My eyes are bloodshot red because I'm just tired and trained. I know what's going on. But this time, he just meant the wrong detectives. There's no tears coming out of your face.

I'm very dry right now. You're dry? I'm very dry. You're like dehydrated. You're probably. My eyes are blood. I'm just trying to. to say that this seems a little put on.

I'm you kidding me. No. They've been trying to catch him because they believe he has gotten away with murder, while someone else was blamed for it. We have physical evidence that shows that you are the one who did it. 23 years earlier, police had found the body of a woman brutally murdered inside her home. Almost immediately, they focused their attention on her husband. Just 48 hours after the murder of his wife, he was brought in for questioning,

and something about his calm demeanor alarmed investigators. I've told you everything exactly how it happened, and I don't answer anything else to say. To determine if he was telling the truth, detectives had him take a polygraph. When the results had come back, it only reinforced their suspicions. He failed. We can prove that you have told us the truth, Sandy. And that don't lie. People lie.

For 23 years, everyone in the community believed he killed his wife, but in reality, he's innocent, while the real killer has been getting away with it all this time. We believed you had something to do with this. Oh my God, you're so full of it. You're after. Detectives are closing in because while the killer thought he committed the perfect crime, he forgot one thing. And 23 years later, he's about to walk straight into their trap. Well, there's actually a little more to it than what we told you so far.

Leslie and Sandy are married in 1974 and begin building their picture-perfect life. They settle in a cozy Maryland suburb and, a few years later, welcome their daughter Lauren. As soon as she is born, Lauren is the center of her parents' world. Her parents are known among Lauren's friends for welcoming everyone into their house, always there to make jokes and cook food for them. Lauren's parents, her mom in particular, just welcomed everybody with open arms and made sure that they were fed. Lauren's father could be described as like the life of the party, very, very involved in Lauren's life,

and they had a really great relationship. He was a really great guy. Before we continue Leslie's story, we'd like to thank this episode's sponsor. Our sponsors help us continue our mission of sharing powerful survivor stories, and today, we've partnered with Shopify. When Unseen started years ago,

there were a lot of unknowns. Finding our voice and building our brand takes a lot of work, and pushing through that doubt, uncertainty, and what-ifs, can be tough. But actually taking that leap and launching unseen was one of the best decisions we've made. And if you're starting something yourself, having the right tools to support your vision can make a huge difference. That's where Shopify can come in. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses

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Go to Shopify.com slash unseen. That's Shopify.com slash unseen. It's now 2001, and Lauren is 23,000. years old and has moved into her own place just 10 minutes away from her childhood home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She and her mother still remained close. My mom and I talked on the phone every single day, every morning. That was a routine. But on the morning of May 2, 2001, Lauren has no idea that her family will never be the same again. It's 10.45 a.m. and Leslie hasn't shown up for work, which her boss finds unusual. She's never missed a day before unannounced.

Concerned, he calls Leslie's husband, Sandy, to ask if he knows where she is. But according to Sandy, Leslie is supposed to be at work. The two men decide to head back to Sandy and Leslie's house to see if she's still there. As the pair walk in, they're shocked. There's blood everywhere. Without hesitation, they both begin searching the house. Sandy quickly goes upstairs to check the bedrooms while Leslie's boss searches downstairs. But Leslie is nowhere to be found.

I said, Sandy, look at this. In the kitchen, there's blood everywhere. There's blood on the back door. There's blood on the appliances. And he said, well, she must have fallen down. She must be the hospital. Sandy quickly flips through the yellow pages to find the hospital's phone number, thinking perhaps his wife drove herself to get medical help,

while Leslie's boss calls 911. Five, ten minutes went by. And when they showed up, Sandy kind of greeted them, and they pulled their guns. and Sandy goes, whoa, you guys mean business. Like, kind of in a joking way. The officer methodically searches the house as the two men wait in the front yard.

At that moment, Sandy suddenly has a disturbing realization. I said, Sandy, you were upstairs awfully quick. Did you check everywhere? He puts his hand to his head and he goes, oh, I forgot to check the bathroom. There was blood on the floor. There were red swirl. Walmart's where someone had tried to obviously clean up blood.

There was a lampshade knocked over as well as an in-table. I went into the master bedroom area. The door to the shower was closed and when I opened it, the victim was curled up in the corner of the shower stall. Less than five minutes later, a detective emerges. He walks straight over to Sandy and delivers the devastating news. He said, sir, your wife is dead. For many, the shock of hearing something like this would be overwhelming.

But to the cops' confusion, Sandy barely reacts, standing motionless and silent. A few miles away in Silver Spring, Lauren is at home. She's just tried to call her mom, but hadn't gotten an answer. She doesn't think much of it until she sees a car pulling into her driveway. I looked out the window and I saw a police car pull up. I saw my dad and a police officer get out of the car. I said, oh, God, what the hell's happening? My dad is, like, talk. He was just talking, but everything was in slow motion. He goes, I'm so sorry. Your mom is no longer with us here anymore. And so I ran into my bedroom and he screamed, like, scream, screamed.

I had this, like, perfect world before this all happened. Perfect. I mean, everything was great. I became a different person in my world changed completely. In any murder investigation, police look at the people closest to the victim first, and the investigators found Sandy's calm reaction upon learning about his wife's death, suspicious, but that's not all. Not only did he not call 911, but he also somehow didn't see his wife's body in the bathroom when he searched their home just prior to police arriving. They looked at any other burglaries in the area. They looked at any other burglaries in the area, any other assaults that happened, and there just, there wasn't any clear indicator that any, any other crimes were related.

So the person, whoever it was, I felt knew the victim, knew the family, knew the routine, entered the home, and went through this violent struggle, and then took the time to try and clean it up. Investigators quickly bring Sandy in for questioning. Just two days after Leslie's death, they press him repeatedly at. about his whereabouts that morning, searching for inconsistencies in his timeline. Tuesday, I met him a regular day, went to work, and got off. I was taking some computer stuff to the dump. Got there before 8 o'clock, took everything off, then left, and I think

I went to a couple doors. When investigators learned he had gone to the dump that morning, it only deepens their suspicion. To them, it suggests that evidence may have been discarded. All of that was just a little bit suspicious. It seemed like he was trying to create an alibi for himself. During the interrogation, Sandy admits to investigators that his marriage wasn't in a good place. The detail that adds weight to their suspicion between their strained relationship and Sandy's strange admissions, the couple's seemingly picture perfect life, is not all what it initially seemed. It seems pretty much just had a glass of wine.

It seems you got in. Just one? Yeah. How many? Uh, she would have a lot. And in all honesty, it's one of the reasons why I kind of come home to lake, because I just really, I was kind of getting hard to deal with. At that point, they started to realize more details are coming out, and it's conflicting

with how he originally presented things. The most violent ever got was I grab her and just say, you know, you got to snap out of. On top of everything else, the autopsy report comes back and suggests Leslie, may have died the night before, but Sandy had told them Leslie was alive when he left for work around 8 that morning. To detectives, the timeline doesn't add up. I told you everything exactly how it happened. We can prove that you have told us the truth, Sandy. We have physical evidence that shows Leslie was dead before 7 o'clock in the morning. And that don't lie. Sandy still insists he's innocent though, so detectives have him take a polygraph test.

The results only confirm what they already believe. He fails. By that point, cops are convinced Sandy Prier is a murderer. You gotta do the right thing, man. You've got to. I think I am. But with no murder weapon or physical evidence tying Sandy to Leslie's killing, they would need a confession from him to go to trial. And since Sandy is still claiming he's innocent, investigators decide to speak with his daughter,

Lauren, to see if she knows anything that could prove Sandy's guilt. Well, I know this has got to be rough-in-law you. And it's frustrating for us because my gut feeling is that your dad had something like this. I've just been a cop too many years, and I've worked too many cases. It is so bizarre to think if this could be someone else. Even when the labs discover a crucial new detail, extracted from under Leslie's fingernails the DNA of an unknown man, detectives still remain completely convinced of Sandy's guilt, and simply develop a new theory that Sandy had an unknown accomplice in Leslie's murder.

How is it possible? First thing, you see that you found from evidence of another person being there. But that's like to me that's like the most bizarre thing. In spite of Sandy and Lauren's insistence, investigators simply won't consider any other possibilities. I knew my dad loved my mom so much. I mean, I had my moment where I questioned. Could he really go that far? I'm like, no. My dad loved my mom, loved, adored her. That's impossible. To the cops, Sandy is still the only real suspect, and it takes a toll on the family.

Some members of Leslie's family even agree with the police. The grieving husband is endlessly scrutinized after 16 years of living under the weight of suspicion, abandoned by nearly everyone except Lauren. Sandy dies. My mom's family believed he killed her, and so they were out of touch with him. I mean, I think my dad died of a broken heart. At this point, Lauren is forced to wonder if the truth will ever come out, or if her mom's case will remain unsolved forever.

It's now 2022. Leslie Prier's case has now been sitting on a shelf in the Montgomery County Police Station for over 20 years, and the case is handed to detectives Tara Agostin and Alison Dupuy from the cold case unit. Ever since I joined the police department, I think my career goal was to get into the cold case unit because these are all major crimes, and I like the challenge of trying to look at everything with fresh eyes and not take the same viewpoints that the previous investigators had. For years, prior investigators have been blinded by their conviction of Sandy's guilt, but Agostin and DuPois decide to take a different approach. They reopened the case with one guiding

question, what if Sandy was innocent? Detective Agostin calls Lauren to tell her the case is being reopened. It was just something that I never expected to hear ever, and I couldn't believe it. We have some ideas of things that we can do now that had never been done before, but it's a very long process, so we had to really urge her to be patient with us. In the years since the crime, science has evolved. New DNA technologies have emerged, and, thankfully, the unknown DNA collected from under Leslie's fingernails, has been preserved in the case's evidence file. In 2001, it was useless without a direct match.

So, in 2022, the lab utilizes a technique called genetic. genealogy to create a DNA profile of the unknown person. We were determined to finish this. We had the DNA, and it was just a matter of narrowing it down and finding that needle in a haystack. The way it works is by using publicly available DNA databases, the same ones people use to trace their own family history. If investigators find a genetic link,

they begin building a family tree using additional information they can find online about the relatives. But if that lead goes nowhere, they'll have to start to start to they'll have to start again with another match. She was relentless. She sat there and built family trees for days and didn't give up. After over a year of pursuing every possible partial match in the U.S., detectives Agostin and DePois still haven't identified their suspect, but they refused to give up.

They decide to look at international databases too, in hopes of finding a better match. And we had a couple of particularly high matches. They were from Eastern European descent. We decided, okay, well, let's just work with these high matches. and see what we can do. And once we did that, within two weeks, we came up with a match that was based out of Romania. And with it, a family name, Gleegor.

Gleegor popped up, and knowing that that family lived in this area at the time, like, this is a really good match. I remember I said, Allie, come over here and look at this. I think I really have a break. Like, oh, this is serious. Not only did the family live near the prayers, but a student named Eugene Gleegor even attended high school with Lour. Lauren Prier. However, the DNA from the genetic genealogy implicates the whole family tree.

It can't specifically point to one person. At this point, the next step is clear. Investigators need a full DNA sample from Eugene to either match him or rule him out. The question is, how can they get a sample without tipping Gleegor off and prove that he's the real killer? It's now early in the morning on June 18, 2024. A task force of U.S. Marshals is quietly waiting outside a home in Washington, D.C. Inside the house is Eugene Gleegor. The moment he steps out the front door, agents move in. Hands up!

He hands up! Within seconds, he's in handcuffs. What is this happened? He was shocked. So you didn't know anything about this warm? He wasn't expecting this. Eugene is brought in right away for questioning. Inside the small windowless interrogation room,

the atmosphere is tense. He doesn't know it yet, but Augustine and DuPoy are determined to unmask a killer. Hi, I'm Detective McGratham. This is Detective DuPoy. Hi, Eric. From Montgomery County. Okay. I'm sure you're wondering what this is all about. I really like to know. This has been really really hard, whatever's happening.

Do you recall back in 2001, Leslie Prier? Yes, that she was murdered. Yes. Okay. So that's the case that we are. investigating. So you went to BCC with her daughter at the time? Is that correct? Okay. And what was your relationship with Morin, the daughter? We had dated. As it turns out, Eugene and Lauren were high school sweethearts. They dated for five years and even went to prom together. His parents' house was

only about a seven-minute walk from the prayers. Eugene was a familiar face around his girlfriend's family home, often stopping by and sharing meals cooked by Lauren's mom. But, But Lauren's father, Sandy, never liked Eugene. He believed he was a bad influence. In high school, Eugene was a person of interest in a few burglaries and had several other run-ins with the law but was never charged with anything. So you and Lauren had dated well before her mother was killed. Do you remember, like were you still in touch with Lauren when this stuff happened to her

mom? No, we had broken up a couple years before, at least. I reached out just to send my regards and maybe saw her a couple times, but that was it. Another detail quickly catches their attention on the day of Lauren's mother's funeral. Strangely, Eugene was nowhere to be found. I remember asking Lauren specifically, I was like, where is Eugene? And her saying to me that it was too much for him to handle.

That's the excuse me, that's the most selfish thing I've ever heard. Why the hell is Eugene not here? Eugene's absence didn't raise any alarms back then, but now, 23 years later, it's all beginning to make sense. Before arresting Eugene, detectives had dug into his background, speaking with people who knew him best, including his two ex-wives. In fact, one of his exes had filed for a protection order against him, where she outlined a disturbing pattern of behavior.

Eugene is an addict and has two guns. His behavior has been erratic and scary for a couple of years, off and on. Eugene repeatedly calls me a whore and yells into my face. He throws objects, punches walls, and I fear for my safety when he has these outbursts. It just showed a completely different side of him that hadn't been exposed before. Once I saw that, okay, well, there is a propensity for violence, and now that kind of changes things to where, okay, he might be capable of actually killing someone. I'm just, I'm a little confused to find out more and talk to me.

Why not just call me and ask me to come in and talk to me? Well, because we needed to talk to you in a controlled environment and because there's a little bit more to it. From the crime scene, the DNA that was taken, we actually have a sample of your DNA. And it was compared to the crime scene DNA. But I never gave a sample of DNA. Eugene Gleegor is right about one thing.

He never knowingly gave a DNA sample, unbeknownst to him, on June 9th, 24, just nine days before this conversation, detectives Augustine and DePoy had launched a covert operation to catch their killer. That day, Eugene Gleegor had flown back home into Dulles International Airport. As Gleegor stepped off the plane, an airport agent pulled him aside for what appeared to be a routine check. He was then escorted to a small room. Several bottles of water had been carefully placed on the table in front of him. The plan was simple.

They needed Gleegor to drink from one of the bottles. Once he did, the bottle would contain his DNA. Eugene took the bait. He drank from one of the bottles, throwing it in the trash as he left the room. The detectives immediately swooped in, collecting their evidence, with Eugene having no idea that he'd just fallen right into their trap. The lab results come back, and the proof is undeniable. The unknown DNA from under Leslie's nails is a match to Eugene.

We obtained a sample from a discarded water bottle. bottle that you drank out of. So your DNA matches the crime scene DNA. Why, I don't know. I don't recall. I don't have any memory. I didn't do anything that you're talking about, so I don't know. And I don't feel like I can... There's no tears coming out of your face. I'm very dry right now. You're dry? I'm very dry. I'm parched like dehydrated. There's water. My eyes are bloodshot red because I'm just dying. and trained, I know what's going on.

You want me to drink water so I could tear? I'm just trying to say that this seems a little put on. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding? No. After 23 years, the case of Leslie Prier's murder is finally solved, but detectives still have to break the news to Lauren about the true identity of her mother's killer.

When Lauren picks up the phone, she's relieved to hear detectives finally have new information about the case, unaware that what they're about to tell her will turn her world upside down once again. She's like, just get a glass of water. I'm going to tell you something. And she goes to you, you know, Eugene Cleegor. I mean, when I say, I lost my mind.

I couldn't believe it. And she was like, he's the one that killed her mom. I couldn't believe my ears. I had no idea that it was someone that I did. dated. It's insane. And then he almost got away with it. He almost got away with it. Just the horror that he could have done that to somebody that took care of him and opened their house to him. It was just shocking. Now that detectives know who killed Leslie, one question remains, why? Eugene refuses to explain himself, but investigators can piece together what likely

occurred on May 2nd, 2001. They know Eugene had a history of burglaries and that he was familiar with the Pereer home. He also thought the family had money. To detectives, that combination indicates a possible motive. I think that Eugene was breaking into the house thinking no one was home and he encountered Leslie and knowing that she would recognize him and he would get in trouble. I think that he just panicked and only thought about himself and made a selfish decision to Kill Leslie in the heat of the moment just so he could get away. I think he got scared because he was in the house and she saw his face and knew exactly who he was. And then he freaked out and she ran for her life.

It took her into the shower thinking that the DNA was going to be gone. On August 25th, 2025, Lauren walks into the courtroom for Eugene's arraignment. Several days after her mother's murder, she'd cried in her ex-boyfriend's arms as he comforted her. That moment was one of the last times she'd seen him, until today, where she will come face to face with him, knowing he's the man responsible for her mother's murder. She looks toward Eugene. He can't even meet her gaze. As the hearing begins, the judge asks Eugene Gleegor how he intends to plead, and his answer shocks everyone in the courtroom. He pleads guilty. Sir, are you pleading guilty here today freely involuntarily?

Yes, Your Honor. Are you pleading guilty because you do believe that you are guilty of second degree? Yes, Your Honor. In that moment, the shadow that has followed Lauren's family for over two decades is finally lifted. Her father's name is cleared, not only in the eyes of the law, but also in the court of public opinion. Though Sandy was never able to see his wife's killer being put behind bars, his daughter

is there to witness it for him. Before the judge delivers the sentence, Lauren is given the chance to speak directly to Eugene and address him for the first time since the truth came out. To our lives, that's you, jean, and a monster arrives right in the front door. We trusted and considered a friend. But the same thing you have us all. Scary, terrifying lives. Look just right in the eyes.

You're a monster, oh, wolf, and she's clothing. You almost got away with it. And by the grace of God I've prayed for almost 25 years, my mother's luster was cut. Eugene T. Gleegor, guess what my family and friends are still here. Eugene Gleegor is sentenced to 22 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation. At last, the prayer family can begin to live in peace.

Yeah, a lot of emotions at play in the courtroom. The family, finally today, able to stand around this picture and take a family portrait and say they are thankful for some amazing detective work. This is a history-making case. Leslie Prier's murder isn't just a cold case solved years later. It becomes a testament to the power of persistence and determination. First, from a daughter that refused to let her father's name be defined by suspicion. I can't believe it's over.

It's been so long. Almost 25 years. I'm 408 years old. I thought I was going to die without knowing. And it's over. It's over. Yeah, I didn't think. God.

Then, from the two detectives who refuse to let old conclusions stand as the final truth, There were a lot of ups and downs, and it took a long time, but in the end it was ultimately a success, and we were very pleased with it. For years, families like the Priers awaiting leads on cold cases were left without options and told that there would be no leads left to pursue. With forensic science evolving with every passing year, detectives Tara Augustine and Alison DePoi represent a new era, one where the smallest piece of evidence can change everything, Even decades later, solving cold cases like Leslie's proves that there's always hope to get justice.

Even against seemingly impossible odds, Lauren now knows that her mom and dad can rest in peace. I have pictures of them in the guest bedroom and I talked to them and I said, I wish you had been here. I said, Daddy, thank you for being such a wonderful father. And I'm so sorry that you didn't get to see justice, but you're getting justice. It was a miracle, literally. I hope that for the other families that are dealing with very old cold case files that would give some hope. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please for the love of everything good in this world, stop.

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