Husband charged in pregnant physical therapist wife's murder after giving police a different story

A Texas man has been accused of killing his wife, who was pregnant at the time of her death, while their other young children were reportedly home. 

Authorities say Lee Mongerson Gilley, 38, allegedly strangled his wife, 38-year-old Christa Bauer Gilley, to death at their home in Houston on Oct. 7, killing both her and their unborn child. 

"The circumstances have been nothing short of gut-wrenching," friends of Christa wrote on a fundraising page on behalf of her family. "But the loss for everyone who knew and loved her is more than the nightmarish details of her death."

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Officers arrived at the Gilley home on the night of Oct. 7 after receiving a report of a suicide, authorities said in a press release. Christa was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Hospital staff said she had bruising and apparent trauma to her face.

Gilley originally told authorities that Christa had intentionally tried to overdose and that he found her unresponsive, but an autopsy later showed she had injuries consistent with strangulation. 

Her death was ruled a homicide – the cause due to "compression of the neck."

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Gilley was arrested on Oct. 11 and booked into the Harris County Jail in Houston.

Christa, who was about eight weeks pregnant at the time of the alleged killing, leaves behind two toddlers. 

According to testimony in child custody proceedings, Gilley allegedly told two relatives he was considering leaving with the children soon after authorities questioned him about his wife's death, the Houston Chronicle reported. 

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"As far as any allegation of Lee Gilley trying to flee, those are categorically false," Ed McClees, Gilley’s defense attorney, told Fox News Digital. 

"It's a mischaracterization of comments that were made before criminal charges were ever even filed, before any warrant was ever even issued, when he was considering trying to go visit his parents and his children's grandparents at the family home in South Carolina," McClees added. "He was never intending to flee… he's been abiding by every bond condition that's been given to him."

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A judge previously prohibited Gilley from having contact with his two children, who were home at the time of their mother’s death, and ordered his passport to be surrendered, the outlet added. 

Gilley has been charged with capital murder in the death of his wife. He was released from custody after posting $1 million bail, and a judge granted a temporary joint conservatorship over the children to their maternal grandparents and Gilley’s sister-in-law, the local Houston outlet reported. 

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McClees confirmed to Fox News Digital that Gilley, who reportedly works as a software consultant, is facing a capital murder charge and was released from custody.

"As far as the capital murder charge goes, we're still in the process of getting all of the material that law enforcement has to date," he said. "They've not turned over the bulk of the reports that we are due… we were told that we should be getting those sometime after the new year, but we don't have them yet. So we're still in the process of evaluating the state's accusations to see how precisely it is they came to the conclusions that they came to."

"Mr. Gilley is devastated at the loss of his wife and the mother of his children, and we are working hard to get to the bottom of what actually occurred," McClees added. 

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Christa had her doctorate of physical therapy and worked with cardiovascular and pulmonary patients, WDBJ reported. 

"Christa, at her core, was a caregiver. It was no surprise that she went into the healthcare field, excelled as a physical therapist and then as a professor," her friends said on the fundraising page. 

"Most importantly, to Christa, she was a mother – the embodiment of selfless care – to her two surviving children. They will turn two and four in the coming months, without the mom who’d already planned their birthday celebrations."