A Texas man has been accused of killing his spouse, who was pregnant on the time of her loss of life, whereas their different younger kids had been reportedly house.
Authorities say Lee Mongerson Gilley, 38, allegedly strangled his spouse, 38-year-old Christa Bauer Gilley, to loss of life at their house in Houston on Oct. 7, killing both her and their unborn child.
“The circumstances have been nothing wanting gut-wrenching,” pals of Christa wrote on a fundraising web page on behalf of her household. “But the loss for everybody who knew and liked her is greater than the nightmarish particulars of her loss of life.”
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Officers arrived at the Gilley home on the night time of Oct. 7 after receiving a report of a suicide, authorities mentioned in a press launch. Christa was taken to a hospital, the place she was pronounced lifeless. Hospital workers mentioned she had bruising and obvious trauma to her face.
Gilley initially advised authorities that Christa had deliberately tried to overdose and that he discovered her unresponsive, however an post-mortem later confirmed she had injuries consistent with strangulation.
Her loss of life was dominated a murder – the trigger resulting from “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 on the time of the alleged killing, leaves behind two toddlers.
According to testimony in youngster custody proceedings, Gilley allegedly advised two kin he was contemplating leaving with the youngsters quickly after authorities questioned him about his spouse’s loss of life, the Houston Chronicle reported.
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“As far as any allegation of Lee Gilley attempting to flee, these are categorically false,” Ed McClees, Gilley’s protection legal professional, advised Fox News Digital.
“It’s a mischaracterization of feedback that had been made earlier than felony costs had been ever even filed, earlier than any warrant was ever even issued, when he was contemplating attempting to go go to his dad and mom and his kids’s grandparents on the household house in South Carolina,” McClees added. “He was by no means desiring to flee… he is been abiding by each bond situation that is been given to him.”
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A judge previously prohibited Gilley from having contact together with his two kids, who had been house on the time of their mom’s loss of life, and ordered his passport to be surrendered, the outlet added.
Gilley has been charged with capital homicide within the loss of life of his spouse. He was launched from custody after posting $1 million bail, and a choose granted a brief joint conservatorship over the youngsters to their maternal grandparents and Gilley’s sister-in-law, the native Houston outlet reported.
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McClees confirmed to Fox News Digital that Gilley, who reportedly works as a software consultant, is going through a capital homicide cost and was launched from custody.
“As far because the capital homicide cost goes, we’re nonetheless within the strategy of getting the entire materials that regulation enforcement has to this point,” he mentioned. “They’ve not turned over the majority of the reviews that we’re due… we had been advised that we must be getting these someday after the brand new yr, however we do not have them but. So we’re nonetheless within the strategy of evaluating the state’s accusations to see how exactly it’s they got here to the conclusions that they got here to.”
“Mr. Gilley is devastated on the lack of his spouse and the mom of his kids, and we’re working onerous to unravel what really occurred,” McClees added.
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Christa had her doctorate of bodily remedy and labored with cardiovascular and pulmonary sufferers, WDBJ reported.
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“Christa, at her core, was a caregiver. It was no shock that she went into the healthcare discipline, excelled as a bodily therapist after which as a professor,” her pals mentioned on the fundraising web page.
“Most importantly, to Christa, she was a mom – the embodiment of selfless care – to her two surviving kids. They will flip two and 4 within the coming months, with out the mother who’d already deliberate their birthday celebrations.”