Christa Bauer Gilley, a Houston physical therapist remembered for her patient care, teaching and devotion to family, is being mourned as her husband, Lee Gilley, fights extradition from Italy in a capital murder case.
Gilley, 38, worked full time as a physical therapist and also taught as an adjunct professor at UTMB-Galveston and in the University of Pittsburgh’s physical therapy program. Her colleague Kathryn Reeves, who worked with her at Memorial Hermann Health System, remembered her as warm, highly skilled and deeply committed to patients and staff education.
Reeves said Gilley made her feel included when she joined the Houston hospital system in 2016. Over time, she said, Gilley became known among coworkers as a behind-the-scenes “secret weapon” because of her extra clinical work and efforts to improve care.
Houston Therapist’s Death Shocked Friends and Coworkers
Gilley died at her Houston home in October 2024 while she was nine weeks pregnant with her third child. According to the account provided, her two children were present at the home.
Reeves said the news stunned coworkers because Gilley had recently discussed future plans, including family goals, her work and a possible mobile physical therapy consulting business for ICU patients. She had also talked about eventually returning to South Carolina to be closer to her family.
Lee Gilley Fights Extradition From Italy
Lee Mongerson Gilley was charged with murder after initially telling police his wife had overdosed. He was arrested, released on bond and later allegedly cut off his ankle monitor before fleeing to Canada and then Italy.
At a court hearing in Italy on Monday, May 11, 2026, Lee Gilley said he did not consent to extradition to the United States. He claimed he was innocent, said he had lost faith in the justice system and described fleeing as the only crime he committed.
His attorney has argued that Christa Bauer Gilley died from methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder she had been diagnosed with in 2023. His capital murder trial in Houston, which had been scheduled for June 2026, was postponed after his arrest in Italy. No new trial date has been set.
For Gilley’s friends and colleagues, the case remains both a legal battle and a personal loss. Reeves said she remembers Christa not only as a skilled therapist and teacher, but as a devoted mother who was still planning for her future.
