Italian Justice Minister Backs Extradition of US Man Accused of Uxoricide

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Turin's prosecutor general support extraditing Lee Mongerson Gilley, a 39-year-old Texan suspected of killing his wife, back to the United States.

Italian Justice Minister Backs Extradition of US Man Accused of Uxoricide

Italian Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and the prosecutor general of Turin have expressed support for extraditing Lee Mongerson Gilley, a 39-year-old man who fled Texas, back to the United States. The American citizen is suspected of killing his wife and was arrested in May upon entering Italy. This was reported by La Stampa, as cited by ANSA.

After receiving the extradition request from Washington, the Justice Minister forwarded the documents to the Turin prosecutor general, who asked the court of appeals to approve the request. The final decision now rests with the judges.

In her opinion submitted to the court, Prosecutor General Marina Nuccio stated that the district attorney's office in Harris County had assured that the death penalty was not being sought. If convicted, Gilley would face life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. District Attorney Janna Oswald also confirmed in writing that prosecutors had not requested capital punishment.

Despite these assurances, the suspect fears execution. His defense attorney, Monica Grosso, raised concerns about the consistency of the guarantees received: while the district attorney's office declares there will be no capital punishment, prosecutor Oswald wrote to a US colleague that she would not sign any waiver of the death penalty.

Source: ANSA Cronaca