Where Is Eugene Gligor Now? Inside His Life After DNA Evidence Linked Him to His Ex-Girlfriend's Mother's Murder Two Decades Later

For complete 2 decades, Leslie Preer's sadistic murder went unsolved.

After Leslie didn't show up for activity connected May 2, 2001, constabulary searched her location and recovered her deceased successful nan ablution of her upstairs bathroom, according to tribunal documents obtained by Fox 5 DC.

The execution rocked nan tight-knit organization of Chevy Chase, Md., and led to wide speculation astir who committed nan heinous act. For respective months aft nan murder, Leslie's husband, Carl "Sandy" Preer, was an unofficial main suspect, moreover though he had an alibi and his DNA didn't lucifer that of nan perpetrator.

Leslie's execution went acold for years until 2 caller detectives re-examined nan grounds successful 2022. Although nan original detectives had discovered DNA from nan killer, they were incapable to find a lucifer successful immoderate of nan disposable databases.

In 2024, nan detectives yet recovered a lucifer utilizing a familial DNA database and identified nan killer. The grounds matched a man named Eugene Gligor, who dated Leslie's daughter, Lauren Preer, successful precocious school. Gligor was arrested successful 2024 and initially denied immoderate involvement.

He later changed his communicative and pleaded blameworthy to second-degree murder. In August 2025 — complete 24 years aft Leslie's decease — Gligor was sentenced to 22 years successful prison. Lauren reflected connected nan execution and eventual apprehension of her ex-boyfriend successful nan Oct. 17 section of Dateline.

"It was awful," Lauren said successful a teaser for nan episode. "I was ne'er going to springiness up."

Here's everything to cognize astir Leslie Preer's execution and wherever Eugene Gligor is now aft sidesplitting her successful 2001.

Who is Eugene Gligor?

Years earlier Gligor murdered Leslie, he was successful a narration pinch her daughter, Lauren. The brace dated erstwhile they were some 15 years aged successful precocious schoolhouse and lived successful nan aforesaid neighborhood, she told Fox 5 DC.

During nan clip they dated, Gligor became adjacent pinch nan Preer family and spent clip pinch them astatine dinners, holidays and crippled nights, per Nationwide News. Lauren told The Washington Post successful 2024 that her mom had ever liked Gligor, while her dada was hesitant.

She told nan outlet that her dada said location was "something disconnected astir him." Lauren and Gligor dated and collapsed up years earlier nan murder, but it's not publically known erstwhile aliases why they split.

Gligor was described arsenic a "zen" personification earlier his arrest, according to tribunal documents obtained by The Washington Post successful 2024. Although he had changed complete nan years, during precocious school, he was known arsenic mischievous pinch a history of constituent abuse, per nan outlet.

At nan clip he was making love Lauren, his parents sewage divorced, and that besides took a toll connected him and yet contributed to him being expelled from school, The Washington Post reported.

After murdering Leslie successful 2001, Gligor went connected to activity astatine a existent property patient and lived successful an flat successful Washington, D.C., according to nan New York Post. Gligor and Lauren mislaid touch aft their breakup, but she recalled to Fox 5 DC that she ran into him astatine a barroom a fewer weeks aft her mom's murder.

“He didn’t look weird,” Lauren said, while adding that he apologized for her loss. "How you could look personification successful nan oculus and cognize that you committed this crime and enactment for illustration thing happened is beautiful unreal."

What did Eugene Gligor do?

Leslie was recovered dormant by constabulary successful nan ablution of her upstairs bath connected May 2, 2001. Her charismatic origin of decease was blunt unit trauma and strangulation, according to Fox 5. Police entered nan location connected a use cheque and noticed humor smeared connected nan walls and furnishings scattered crossed nan surviving room.

The detectives secured antheral DNA from some nan humor smears and tegument cells nether Leslie's fingernails, but they weren't capable to find a match. At nan time, they suspected her husband, Sandy, but his DNA didn't lucifer what was recovered astatine nan segment of nan crime.

The lawsuit went acold for complete 2 decades earlier Detective Tara Augustin and Detective Alyson Dupouy took a stab astatine cracking it.

How was Eugene Gligor yet caught?

Two years aft detectives Augustin and Dupouy re-examined Leslie's death, they had a breakthrough pinch caller DNA technology. The caller process takes criminal DNA samples and compares them crossed nationalist databases to cheque for relational matches.

"They'll springiness you a database of profiles that are successful these systems that person a definite grade of relatedness to nan suspect's DNA profile," Augustin explained to 20/20 successful September 2025. "Sometimes it tin beryllium thousands of group [and] it tin beryllium a very, very distant relationship."

The detectives were capable to create a elaborate DNA floor plan of nan fishy and yet traced it backmost to a family successful Romania. Augustin and Dupouy combed done nan family statement until they noticed nan surname Gligor and recognized it from a extremity authorities had received from a neighbour who suggested that nan ex-boyfriend whitethorn person been involved, according to Bethesda Today News.

Since Gligor's DNA was not already successful a nationalist database aliases stored pinch immoderate rule enforcement agencies, they had to get creative. Augustin and Dupouy tracked Gligor to Washington Dulles Airport, wherever they retrieved his utilized h2o vessel and matched his DNA to nan samples collected from Leslie's fingernails.

In June 2024, Gligor was arrested extracurricular of his Washington, D.C., apartment. For astir a year, he denied immoderate engagement successful nan crime.

What was Eugene Gligor’s sentence?

Gligor changed his communicative successful May 2025 and pleaded blameworthy to second-degree murder.

"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 astatine nan clip of his blameworthy plea. "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."

Kurtz added, "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."

On Aug. 28, 2025, Gligor was sentenced to 22 years successful situation by a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge, according to Bethesda Today News. Prosecutors recommended he get nan maximum condemnation of 30 years successful prison, which nan judge gave him, but suspended nan condemnation to 22 years.

“Today is simply a time of reckoning,” authorities prosecutors Donna Fenton and Jodie Mount said astatine nan time.

Since Gligor took a plea deal, he did not guidelines proceedings and did not person to connection a motive. Prosecutors said successful nan sentencing that Gligor was "unwilling to admit his motive and nan afloat grade of his horrific conduct," per 20/20.

However, during Gligor's sentencing hearing, he insinuated that he was nether nan power by telling nan tribunal that he struggled pinch supplier and intoxicant maltreatment and had knowledgeable blackouts astatine nan time.

"I vaguely retrieve leaving nan Preer location successful nan morning, but nan remainder is simply a blur. I cognize Lauren and Leslie's family want to cognize why I was location and what happened. I'm sorry. I'm incapable to retrieve and supply an explanation," Gligor said, per 20/20.

Where is Eugene Gligor now?

Shortly aft Gligor received his 22-year sentence, he revenge a mobility requesting that his condemnation beryllium reduced.

As of October 2025, Gligor is housed astatine Maryland Correctional Training Center successful Washington County, Md., per inmate records.