HOUSTON – The judge in the capital murder case against Lee Gilley, the Harris County defendant accused of cutting off his ankle monitor and fleeing to Italy, has canceled the upcoming trial.
Judge Peyton Peebles called off the trial, saying it’s not reasonable to believe it will happen on time, which had been scheduled for later this month. A new trial date has not been set.
Prosecutors told the judge they are still working with the U.S. Department of Justice to complete a formal extradition request. That request has not yet been submitted to the Italian government.
The deadline to submit the packet is 45 days from May 8, prosecutor Janna Oswald said, which would be around the fourth week of June. She said they have no understanding of the timeline after that.
The DOJ has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the Trump administration’s involvement in the Gilley case.
The White House referred any requests to the DOJ ten days ago, and the State Department declined to comment.
Gilley, 39, is scheduled for another hearing May 26 in Turin, Italy, related to his asylum case, according to U.S.
The capital murder trial for Lee Gilley has been indefinitely delayed after he cut off his ankle monitor & fled to Italy. Prosecutors revealed they're still working with @TheJusticeDept to complete extradition paperwork, which hasn't yet been submitted to the Italian government. pic.twitter.com/jHu9yDb17K
— KPRC 2 Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) May 21, 2026
defense attorney Dick DeGuerin. He was set to stand trial in the October 2024 alleged strangulation death of his pregnant wife, Christa Bauer.
DeGuerin said he has had trouble communicating with Gilley. The attorney added that communication with Gilley’s Italian lawyer has been “rather cryptic.”
Last week, KPRC 2 News reported on two motions to withdraw from the case being filed under seal, indicating at least two of Gilley’s three defense attorneys asked the judge to stop representing him.
In court Thursday morning, defense attorney Bill Stradley said he and co-counsel Ed McClees filed the motions under seal for “obvious reasons.”
However, Judge Peebles didn’t rule on their requests — at least at this point — saying that he would deal with them as the situation unfolds.
It wasn’t clear prior to Thursday who exactly was asking to stop representing Gilley, but “the mystery’s over for that,” DeGuerin said.
KPRC 2 is still working to confirm the reasons Stradley and McClees cited in the motions to withdraw.
Updates will be provided as extradition efforts and court proceedings continue.