Overview
- Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare filed a formal notice on Friday saying his office will not seek the death penalty against Lee Gilley, the man charged in his pregnant wife’s 2024 death.
- Teare transmitted the assurance to the Court of Appeal of Turin through the U.S. government after Italian judges asked for an explicit pledge about capital punishment.
- Gilley remains in Italian custody while the Turin court prepares for an October hearing that will decide whether to extradite him to Texas or grant him asylum.
- Defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin said the state never intended to pursue execution and argued the extradition delay could have been avoided if the pledge had been made earlier, while Teare accused Gilley of misleading Italian judges about punishments.
- European courts often require death‑penalty assurances before approving extradition, so the DA’s notice could remove a key legal obstacle but does not guarantee extradition or affect Italy’s separate asylum review.