HOUSTON — Harris County Precinct 1 deputies returned a Houston Heights home connected to a 2024 capital murder case to the family of its owner after a man allegedly tried to claim the property through adverse possession, Constable Alan Rosen said Monday.
Rosen said his office has opened a criminal investigation and is pursuing possible felony charges against the man, whom authorities accuse of attempting to take ownership of the property through fraudulent filings. He did not identify the suspect but said investigators believe the man has targeted other properties whose owners were absent because of deaths or other circumstances.
The home in the 800 block of Allston Street was the site of the death of Christa Bauer Gilley, who was pregnant when authorities said her husband, Lee Gilley, killed her in 2024. Lee Gilley faces a capital murder charge and remains in custody in Italy while contesting extradition to the United States.
According to Rosen, investigators worked with the Gilley family’s attorney to regain possession of the property Monday after a two-week investigation.
“He actually went into the home. He changed the locks. He put cameras up. He did a lot of stuff to show that he was now possessing that house,” Rosen said. “As of today, our office, in conjunction with the attorney that represents the family of the deceased, went over and repossessed the house for the family.”
Rosen said deputies did not encounter the suspect when they recovered the property.
Harris County property records show that Matthew Jackson filed affidavits of adverse possession and warranty deeds in May for the Gilley home and for a River Oaks residence owned by restaurateurs Matthew and Thy Mitchell. The Mitchells and their two children died in an apparent murder-suicide earlier this year. The Harris Central Appraisal District values both properties at more than $1 million.
Rosen said investigators are examining whether the filings were part of a broader pattern.
“He seems to be picking houses where there’s been a crime, or there’s been a death and knows that the people or the owners of the home are away,” Rosen said.
Houston Public Media reported that messages left for Jackson at the phone number and email address listed in public property records were not immediately returned.
Rosen said deputies used a Texas law enacted last year that gives law enforcement additional authority to remove suspected squatters from residential properties.
“I’m appreciative of the Legislature to give us new laws that we can work in,” Rosen said. “We worked very collaboratively with the district attorney’s office and made sure we did everything by the book.”
Rosen did not specify the potential felony charges under consideration but encouraged property owners who believe someone has unlawfully claimed their property to contact the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office.
