Parents of slain pregnant mom Christa Gilley demand Lee Gilley's return from Italy for murder case
"We believe in the sanctity of human life."
The parents of murdered Texas mother Christa Bauer Gilley, 38, have made their first public statements following their daughter's killing.
Prosecutors say her husband, Lee Gilley, 39, is responsible for her death. His wife, who was pregnant at the time, was found dead inside the family's home in October 2024.
Investigators say the murder suspect cut off his ankle monitor and fled from the U.S. to Italy in May, weeks before his trial was supposed to start – which Lee Gilley's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said poses a possible challenge for his client's defense.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, DeGuerin said, "It does complicate the criminal case in Houston if he is returned here because flight can be used as evidence of consciousness of guilt."
FRIEND OF SLAIN PREGNANT TEXAS WOMAN CALLS DEATH PENALTY REMOVAL THE 'BIGGEST RELIEF IN MONTHS'
Meanwhile, Ed and Sharon Bauer, Christa's parents, have been waiting tirelessly for any developments on Gilley's extradition.
They explained their anguish in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal.
"We didn’t have time to grieve before legal battles began. What’s kept us going is faith that we would see accountability for the precious lives taken from us," they wrote.
Gilley's extradition has been a saga in and of itself.
When he was captured and arrested by the Italian government, there was concern from Italian courts that if they did release Gilley from Italian custody and allow his to return to U.S. soil, he would face the death penalty – which is abolished in their country.
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The Bauers have also expressed their opposition to the punishment.
FRIEND OF SLAIN PREGNANT TEXAS WOMAN CALLS DEATH PENALTY REMOVAL THE 'BIGGEST RELIEF IN MONTHS'
They wrote, "We are Roman Catholic and believe in the sanctity of human life. We don’t believe justice for Christa involves taking another life. For us, justice means improving the well-being of women like her. It means confronting the global problem of violence against women."
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Texas prosecutors took the death penalty off the table and have been waiting for approval from Italy to begin the extradition process.
On Wednesday, Gilley appeared in court in Italy. Initially the courts were going to decide on his extradition back to the U.S. – but no decision was made, Gilley's attorney confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Although he is still overseas, a preliminary hearing for Gilley is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9.
DeGuerin said his client "has insisted from the very beginning that he had nothing to do with his wife's death."
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He went on to say that Christa's death was caused by a "pre-existing medical condition."
As for the Bauer family, they said, "We are asking that Italian and U.S. authorities work together to grant extradition. Our family doesn’t seek Lee’s death. We seek justice for Christa’s."
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Gilley's defense attorney maintains his client is innocent.