Texas prosecutors take death penalty off the table for man accused of murdering wife and fleeing to Italy

Texas prosecutors announced they won't seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing his wife and fleeing the country as his trial was set to begin, they told an Italian court, clearing a path for his extradition to the United States.

Lee Gilley, 39, faces a capital murder charge in connection with the October 2024 death of his wife, Christa, who was nine weeks pregnant when she died. The Harris County Medical Examiner's office determined her death was a homicide resulting from neck compression.