As Lee Gilley fights extradition from Italy to face a capital murder charge in the death of his pregnant wife, a disputed claim to the couple's vacant Houston home has triggered a separate criminal investigation.
The Houston Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that officers responded to Gilley's home in the 800 block of Allston Street around 6:30 p.m. June 17 after receiving a reported trespassing complaint. A man at the property told officers he had a right to be there and was willing to "go to court" to prove his claim, police said.
HPD contacted the Harris County District Attorney's Office, which referred the dispute to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office as a civil matter. No criminal charges resulted from the initial police response.
The unusual property dispute surfaced months after authorities say Gilley cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled the United States ahead of his murder trial, leaving the Houston Heights home vacant.
Records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Lee and Christa Gilley purchased the Allston Street property in 2018. However, who was nine weeks pregnant. The Harris County medical examiner's office ruled her death a homicide caused by neck compression. Gilley has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have challenged that conclusion.
Federal investigators allege Gilley removed his ankle monitor May 1 and fled Texas before his scheduled trial. He later arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport using a false name and forged travel documents, according to court records, and was taken into custody by Italian authorities.
During a July 15 hearing before the Turin Court of Appeal, Gilley asked judges to block his return to the United States and said he was seeking protection in Italy for himself and his children, according to NBC News.
"I am seeking protection in Italy," Gilley said, according to NBC News. "They want to punish me, and I am asking for protection for myself and my children."
Gilley's Italian attorney, Monica Grosso, told NBC News that Texas authorities had not provided a formal written guarantee that prosecutors would take the death penalty off the table. Grosso said the defense had instead received an embassy note offering assurances.
Grosso also told NBC News that the defense believes Christa suffered from a blood disorder and that blood found in the couple's bedroom was inconsistent with the prosecution's account of her death.
On July 20, the Turin court temporarily blocked the extradition request and sought additional assurances from the U.S. government regarding the death penalty and a possible sentence of life without parole, according to Italian court records obtained by KPRC.
The court set an Aug. 31 deadline for a response and scheduled another hearing for early September, KPRC reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gilley's attorney and the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office for comment.