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Gag Order Issued, $1 Million Bond Forfeited as Houston Murder Suspect Held in Italy

Extradition could hinge on assurances that Texas will not seek a death sentence.

Overview

  • An Italian judge on Friday kept Lee Gilley in jail pending a May 11 hearing after Milan border police said he tried to enter the country with forged Belgian documents.
  • In Houston, Judge Peyton Peebles on Friday issued a gag order that limits what lawyers, investigators, and witnesses can say publicly to protect the selection of an impartial jury.
  • The court also moved to forfeit Gilley’s $1 million bond, a step that can take months to collect and often depends on his return to Harris County.
  • Extradition timing remains uncertain because Italy generally bars transfers where a defendant could face execution and could delay return if it prosecutes him for the fake documents.
  • Christa Gilley’s parents asked a Harris County judge on Wednesday to suspend his relatives’ shared custody of the couple’s children until he is back in the United States.