Family Of Mom Murdered In Ritzy Dc Suburb Decades Ago Gets Justice As Perp Nobody Expected Pleads Guilty

A slayer cipher expected has pleaded blameworthy successful nan 2001 execution of a Chevy Chase, Maryland, mother.

Defendant Eugene Gligor, 45, of Washington, D.C., walked free done nan nation's superior for much than 20 years earlier his DNA linked him to then-50-year-old Leslie Preer's execution successful 2001.

Preer's daughter, Lauren Preer, told FOX 5 D.C. that she dated nan fishy erstwhile they were some 15 years old. She was 24 erstwhile her mother was killed.

Montgomery County authorities linked DNA recovered beneath Preer's fingernails astatine nan clip of her execution to Gligor's "distant comparative from Romania" who had voluntarily submitted her DNA to an online database, yet starring authorities straight to him past year, Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said during a Wednesday property conference. 

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Defendant Eugene Gligor, 45, of Washington, D.C., walked free done nan nation's superior for much than 20 years earlier his DNA linked him to then-50-year-old Leslie Preer's execution successful 2001. (Montgomery County State's Attorney)

Gligor had lived successful nan D.C. area since committing nan gruesome crime immoderate 24 years ago. Fox News Digital has reached retired to his lawyer for comment.

"Lauren, her family, and friends person waited 24 years to yet get closure and justness for this horrific crime that tore her family apart," family lawyer Benjamin Kurtz told Fox News Digital. "The truth that it turned retired to beryllium personification they allowed successful their location pinch unfastened arms, conscionable makes it that overmuch harder to understand."

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Kurtz added that "Lauren has been fixed a consciousness of bid knowing that her begetter has yet been vindicated of immoderate wrongdoing, moreover if aft his death, and she feels he tin yet remainder successful bid pinch nan knowledge her slayer has been caught."

She besides "wanted to definitive her gratitude to nan Montgomery County Police Department who ne'er stopped trying to get justness for her family and to nan State’s Attorney’s Office for their efforts of securing a blameworthy plea from Leslie’s murderer."

"Lastly, while nan blameworthy plea will ne'er bring backmost her mother, aliases create immoderate of nan moments she ne'er sewage to acquisition owed to losing her astatine specified a young age, she and her family tin yet person immoderate closure to this horrific nonaccomplishment and effort to commencement nan treatment process," Kurtz said. "She wanted to definitive her sincere appreciation to each of her family and friends for nan emotion and support complete nan years and decades and during nan past twelvemonth waiting for a conviction."

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Preer's leader recovered her dormant successful nan 2nd communicative of her Chevy Chase location connected May 2, 2001, aft she did not show up for activity that time and ruled her decease a homicide. There was humor each complete nan house. (Montgomery County State's Attorney)

Preer's leader recovered her dormant successful nan 2nd communicative of her Chevy Chase location connected May 2, 2001, aft she did not show up for activity that day. Her decease was ruled a homicide. There was humor each complete nan house, McCarthy said.

She died of blunt unit trauma and strangulation.

In 2022, constabulary submitted DNA collected from nan crime segment to a laboratory for forensic familial genealogical DNA study and later identified Gligor arsenic a imaginable suspect.

McCarthy called Preer's lawsuit "historic" during a May 7 property conference, saying it was nan first clip familial DNA was utilized successful a cold-case execution successful nan county.

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"This was fantabulous constabulary activity that took spot for complete 2 decades," erstwhile Washington, D.C., homicide detective Ted Williams told Fox News Digital. "This is really science, familial DNA, was capable to thief rule enforcement drawback a personification who felt that they had committed nan crime.… The truth that nan DNA that was recovered nether [Preer's] fingernails was preserved each of those years and was later utilized to way down Mr. Gligor – he would person gotten distant pinch murder, absent having this… near-exact science, and that is familial DNA."

"[H]e would person gotten distant pinch murder."

Authorities obtained a sample of Gligor's DNA by staging a clone 2nd information screening astatine Dulles International Airport. They escorted nan then-suspect into a room, wherever location were respective h2o bottles. Gligor drank 1 h2o vessel and threw it distant earlier leaving nan room, according to tribunal filings obtained by The Washington Post.

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John McCarthy, speaking connected Lauren Preer's behalf during nan Wednesday property conference, remembered Leslie Preer arsenic a "spectacular, loving, awesome person." (Facebook)

"There are times, unfortunately, erstwhile nan grounds that is gathered astatine a crime segment does not lead successful immoderate 1 circumstantial direction," Williams said. "I americium judge that astatine nan early stages of nan investigation, nan investigators were looking astatine anybody they believed whitethorn very good person been progressive pinch this murder, but [Gligor] did not travel up connected their radar screen. That happens successful execution cases each nan time… and astatine immoderate shape aliases another, nan improvement of nan technological evidence… is thing aliases 2 that rule enforcement now person successful their possession to spell backmost many, galore years."

Gligor worked astatine a real-estate patient and was known arsenic a "zen" and friends person, the Post reported past year, erstwhile he was named arsenic a suspect.

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Court records and accounts from those who knew him obtained by nan Post show that he was a mischievous high-schooler pinch immoderate history of constituent abuse. His parents divided while he and Lauren were making love successful precocious school, and he did not return nan separation well. He was besides expelled from boarding school, nan Post reported.

Following Preer's death, erstwhile friends and family offered support to Lauren, Gligor apparently drove cross-country to sojourn a friend successful Oregon while Lauren was grieving. That friend told nan Post that Gligor didn't show him he was coming to Oregon until he was already connected his way.

Lauren recalled a infinitesimal years earlier her mother's murder, erstwhile she and Gligor were still dating, erstwhile Gligor was accused of assaulting a female connected a motorcycle way betwixt nan 2 then-teenagers' houses. Lauren told nan Post she went to nan constabulary position pinch a friend, insisting to officers that Gligor was innocent.

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"We some said, location is nary measurement Eugene would person done this," Preer recalled to nan Post.

Authorities person not shared immoderate benignant of motive down Preer's murder. McCarthy said it will beryllium up to nan suspect to stock what nan motive was successful his determination to termination Preer, adding later that location was nary grounds to propose nan execution was "premeditated," and Preer had nary criminal record.

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McCarthy, speaking connected Lauren's behalf during nan Wednesday property conference, remembered Preer arsenic a "spectacular, loving, awesome person."

Gligor faces up to 30 years successful prison, which was nan maximum punishment for second-degree execution successful 2001 erstwhile nan incident occurred. A sentencing proceeding is scheduled for Aug. 28, 2025, astatine 9 a.m.