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“First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder”: 20/20 Reports on Leslie Preer Homicide July 24 2026

Ryan Gill

20/20 presents “First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder” on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Reported by ABC News correspondent Stephanie Ramos, the two-hour episode examines the murder of Leslie Preer, a wife and mother who was found beaten to death inside her Chevy Chase, Maryland, home in 2001.

The case remained unsolved for more than two decades, leaving Preer’s family without answers and placing suspicion on her husband despite DNA evidence that pointed to another man. A review by Montgomery County cold case detectives, advances in forensic genetic genealogy and a discarded water bottle at Washington Dulles International Airport led investigators to Eugene Gligor, the former boyfriend of Preer’s daughter.

The broadcast follows the original investigation, the long period in which the case produced no arrest and the work of detectives Tara Augustin and Alyson Dupouy. Their investigation identified the man whose DNA had been recovered from beneath Preer’s fingernails and from blood found across the crime scene.

 

Leslie Preer’s Life Before the Murder

Leslie Ann Jennings Preer was born on October 5, 1952. She attended Pensacola High School and graduated from the University of Florida in 1973. She married Carl Eugene “Sandy” Preer III on October 26, 1974, and the couple raised their daughter, Lauren.

By 2001, Leslie and Sandy lived in Chevy Chase, an affluent Maryland community near Washington, D.C. Leslie was a mother, wife and active member of her community. Her death shocked a neighborhood where a violent killing inside a private home appeared out of place.

Lauren shared a close relationship with her mother. In later interviews, she described the loss as an event that changed every part of her life. The years without an arrest forced the family to live with grief, unanswered questions and public speculation about who had killed Leslie.

The crime also altered the final years of Sandy Preer’s life. Investigators examined him as a possible suspect, and people in the community questioned whether he had played a role in his wife’s death. Sandy died in 2017, seven years before an arrest cleared him of involvement.

Leslie Preer Fails to Arrive at Work

On the morning Leslie was found dead, she failed to report to work. Her absence caused concern because it did not fit her normal routine. Her employer contacted her family, and her boss and husband went to the Preer residence to check on her.

When they reached the house, they saw blood and recognized that something was wrong. A call to 911 brought Montgomery County police officers to the property. Officers entered the residence and found Leslie’s body in an upstairs bathroom shower.

The scene showed signs of a violent confrontation. Blood was present in several rooms, indicating that the attack had moved through parts of the house or that the killer had carried blood from one area to another. Investigators found evidence that Leslie had fought for her life.

An autopsy determined that Leslie died from blunt force trauma. The injuries showed that she had suffered a sustained physical assault rather than a single blow. The condition of the home and the absence of a clear explanation for the attack led detectives to consider whether the killing had been personal.

The Crime Scene Raises Questions About the Killer

Investigators found no clear sign that a stranger had forced entry into the residence. That detail raised the possibility that Leslie knew the person who entered the house or that the killer had gained access without breaking a door or window.

Police interviewed relatives, neighbors, coworkers and other people who had contact with Leslie. Detectives examined the family’s relationships, Leslie’s movements and any conflict that could have placed her at risk. They also attempted to identify anyone seen near the home before or after the murder.

One neighbor reported an unusual sight at the Preer residence on the night before Leslie was found. According to the original police report, every light appeared to be on while the drapes remained closed. The neighbor regarded the scene as inconsistent with the family’s normal habits.

Detectives collected biological evidence from the residence, including blood found in three rooms. They also recovered material from beneath Leslie’s fingernails. The evidence under her nails suggested that she had scratched or grabbed her attacker during the struggle.

Investigators Focus on Sandy Preer

As detectives examined those closest to Leslie, suspicion fell on her husband. Sandy acknowledged during a recorded police interview that the marriage had been under strain. He said Leslie’s drinking had created problems and that he sometimes returned home late because the situation had become hard for him to handle.

Police questioned Sandy about his movements before the discovery of Leslie’s body. He said he had completed errands, including a visit to a dump and stops at three stores while searching for a battery charger. Years later, detectives reviewing the case said the detailed account could have appeared like an attempt to establish an alibi.

Sandy also underwent a polygraph examination and did not pass. A failed polygraph does not prove guilt, and polygraph results face limits in criminal proceedings. Stress, fear and the conditions of an examination can affect a person’s responses.

The combination of marital problems, Sandy’s account of his errands, neighborhood suspicion and the polygraph result caused investigators to concentrate on him. For Leslie’s daughter, this focus created another source of pain. She had lost her mother while her father lived under suspicion.

DNA Evidence Contradicts the Main Theory

About two months after the murder, forensic testing produced a result that did not support the theory against Sandy. Male DNA recovered from beneath Leslie’s fingernails did not match her husband.

The profile gave detectives evidence that another man had made physical contact with Leslie during the attack. It also supported the conclusion that she had fought her killer and carried his biological material beneath her nails.

Investigators compared the unknown profile with DNA records available to law enforcement. No match appeared in the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. The result meant that the person connected to the crime scene had not left a qualifying DNA profile in the database.

Police had strong forensic evidence but no name to attach to it. Without a match, witness identification or confession, the investigation lost momentum. The killer remained free, and Leslie’s death entered Montgomery County’s collection of unresolved homicides.

The Murder Becomes a Cold Case

The case remained open, but years passed without an arrest. Detectives preserved the blood samples, fingernail scrapings and other evidence in the hope that new testing methods could provide an answer.

Cold cases present problems that grow with time. Witnesses die, memories fade and records become harder to interpret. Investigators must work through decisions made by earlier detectives while avoiding assumptions that may have shaped the first inquiry.

For Leslie’s family, the lack of resolution created a form of continuing trauma. They knew that male DNA existed but did not know whose DNA it was. They also knew that the person responsible could have remained in their wider social circle.

Sandy carried the weight of suspicion until his death. Although his DNA did not match the material found under Leslie’s fingernails, the absence of another suspect allowed questions about him to persist. He did not live to see the evidence identify the killer.

Two Cold Case Detectives Revisit the Evidence

In 2022, Detective Tara Augustin joined the Montgomery County Department of Police cold case unit. She began working with Detective Alyson Dupouy, another veteran investigator. The pair received the Preer case and started reviewing the original reports, interviews and forensic findings.

The detectives approached the file without accepting the conclusions that had guided the first investigation. Their task was to separate documented facts from suspicions that had developed around Sandy.

Augustin and Dupouy also maintained contact with Lauren. Cold case investigations can reconnect families with law enforcement after years of silence or limited updates. The detectives wanted Lauren to know that her mother’s case had not been forgotten.

The strongest evidence remained the unknown male DNA. The investigators believed that forensic genetic genealogy could identify relatives of the source and allow them to construct a family tree leading to a suspect.

Othram Develops a New DNA Profile

Montgomery County police worked with Othram, a private forensic laboratory that specializes in difficult DNA cases. The company examined evidence collected from the Preer residence and developed a profile suitable for genealogical research.

Forensic genetic genealogy differs from a standard CODIS search. CODIS seeks a direct match between crime-scene DNA and profiles held in law enforcement databases. Genealogy research can identify people who share sections of DNA with an unknown suspect, including distant relatives.

The process may produce hundreds or thousands of possible connections. Investigators and genealogists then examine birth records, death records, marriage records, obituaries, public documents and family relationships to determine how the matches connect.

In the Preer case, many of the initial matches were distant and connected to broad American family lines. Detectives spent about a year and a half constructing family trees and eliminating branches that could not lead to the person whose DNA was found at the scene.

A Romanian Family Line Provides a Breakthrough

One of the strongest genealogical matches led investigators to a family line in Romania. Detectives searched public records and articles connected to that lineage and encountered the surname Gligor.

The name stood out because it had appeared in the original case file. Eugene Gligor had dated Lauren Preer when the two were in high school. His connection to the family gave him a reason to know Leslie and to know the location of the Preer home.

Investigators determined that Eugene Gligor was a first cousin twice removed from the person connected to the Romanian genealogy match. The relationship fit the amount of shared DNA found through the database.

The discovery gave detectives a named person who had both a genetic link to the unknown profile and a connection to the victim’s family. It also caused them to review an overlooked lead from the original investigation.

An Old Tip Points Toward Eugene Gligor

About nine months after Leslie’s murder, a neighbor had suggested that police consider Lauren’s former boyfriend. The tip identified Eugene Gligor as a person who might deserve examination.

The lead had not produced an arrest during the initial investigation. Gligor’s DNA was not stored in CODIS, so police had no direct sample to compare with the male profile recovered from Leslie’s fingernails.

Once the genealogy research led back to the same name, the old tip gained new importance. The overlap between the family-tree evidence, Gligor’s past relationship with Lauren and the original report gave investigators grounds to pursue him.

Police still needed a direct DNA comparison. Genealogy can generate an investigative lead, but prosecutors require evidence linking the accused person to the crime. Detectives placed Gligor under surveillance and looked for an item he discarded in public.

A Water Bottle at Dulles Airport Confirms the Match

Investigators followed Gligor to Washington Dulles International Airport. With help from customs officials and airport surveillance, they watched him drink from a plastic water bottle and throw it into a trash bin.

Officers retrieved the bottle after he discarded it. Because Gligor had left it behind in a public place, investigators could collect it and test the saliva without asking him to provide a voluntary sample.

The bottle went to a laboratory for comparison with the DNA recovered in 2001. Within a week, the result confirmed that Gligor’s DNA matched the profile found beneath Leslie’s fingernails.

The match also connected him to blood evidence from the crime scene. After more than 23 years, investigators had identified the man whose biological material had been preserved from Leslie’s home.

Police Arrest Eugene Gligor

Eugene Gligor was arrested on June 18, 2024, at his apartment in Washington, D.C. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service assisted with the arrest, and Gligor was extradited to Maryland to face a second-degree murder charge.

The arrest brought an end to more than two decades in which no person had been charged with Leslie’s killing. It also cleared Sandy Preer, whose name had remained tied to suspicion long after DNA evidence excluded him as the source of the male profile.

During questioning by Augustin and Dupouy, Gligor denied involvement in the murder. Detectives confronted him with the DNA evidence and his past connection to Lauren and the Preer family.

The charge of second-degree murder accused Gligor of an intentional killing without the planning required for a first-degree murder conviction. Under Maryland law, the charge exposed him to a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Gligor Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder

Gligor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May 2025. The plea prevented the case from going to a full jury trial and established his criminal responsibility for Leslie’s death.

A guilty plea resolved the central legal question, but it did not provide Leslie’s family with a full account of the crime. Gligor did not explain why he went to the house, what led to the attack or what occurred during the final moments of Leslie’s life.

The DNA evidence would have formed the core of the prosecution’s case at trial. Prosecutors could also have presented evidence of the struggle, Gligor’s connection to the family and the blood found throughout the house.

By pleading guilty, Gligor faced sentencing before a Montgomery County judge. Prosecutors requested the maximum 30-year term, while his defense sought a sentence of 10 years.

The Defence Cites Drug Use and Childhood Trauma

At the sentencing hearing, defence attorney Isabelle Raquin described Gligor as a man with a history of childhood trauma and substance abuse. She said the murder followed a night of binge drinking and cocaine use.

The defence argued that the killing represented a departure from Gligor’s conduct across the rest of his life. Friends testified on his behalf and described him as a kind person.

Gligor told the court that he had suffered blackouts because of his drug and alcohol use. He said he had a vague memory of leaving the Preer residence in the morning but claimed that the rest of the incident remained a blur.

He expressed remorse and said he hoped to be of service to Lauren. His statement did not answer why he had gone to Leslie’s home or why the encounter became a fatal assault.

Prosecutors Describe a Brutal and Unexplained Killing

Prosecutors rejected the suggestion that the absence of a stated motive reduced Gligor’s responsibility. They argued that the crime had a motive, even if Gligor refused or claimed to be unable to reveal it.

The state emphasized the severity of Leslie’s injuries, the evidence of a struggle and the presence of blood in several rooms. Prosecutors also said Gligor attempted to clean the crime scene after the attack.

The prosecution asked the court to consider the years in which Gligor avoided accountability. While Leslie’s family lived with grief and suspicion, Gligor continued his life without admitting his role.

The state requested the maximum sentence of 30 years. Prosecutors argued that the brutality of the attack, the effect on the family and the lack of a full explanation supported the strongest penalty permitted for second-degree murder.

Leslie Preer’s Family Addresses the Court

Six members of Leslie’s family delivered victim-impact statements at the sentencing hearing. They described the emotional damage caused by her murder and the long wait for an arrest.

Lauren called Gligor a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Her statement reflected the personal betrayal at the centre of the case. The man convicted of killing her mother had once been her boyfriend and had known the family.

The prosecution displayed crime-scene photographs during the proceeding. Lauren cried out as the images appeared, showing the continuing pain created by the violent nature of her mother’s death.

Family members also spoke about Sandy. They said he spent the rest of his life under a cloud of suspicion and died without seeing the case solved. The identification of Gligor cleared Sandy, but it came too late for him to experience that vindication.

Eugene Gligor Receives a 22-Year Prison Sentence

On August 28, 2025, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge David Lease sentenced Gligor to 22 years in prison. The term exceeded Maryland’s sentencing guidelines of 10 to 18 years but fell below the 30-year maximum requested by prosecutors.

Judge Lease found that the severity of the crime justified a sentence above the guidelines. The court balanced the defence evidence concerning Gligor’s background against the violence of the murder and the damage caused to Leslie’s family.

The sentence ensured that Gligor, then in his 50s, would spend a large part of his remaining life in prison. He filed a motion asking the court to reconsider the punishment.

The hearing completed the main criminal proceedings arising from Leslie’s death. There had been no jury verdict because Gligor entered a guilty plea, but the conviction and sentence established the outcome that had eluded investigators for more than two decades.

The Case Clears Sandy Preer’s Name

One of the most significant results of the arrest was the formal clearing of Leslie’s husband. Sandy had faced questions because of the condition of the marriage, his detailed account of his errands and his failed polygraph.

The DNA beneath Leslie’s fingernails had excluded Sandy in 2001, yet no identified alternative suspect existed. In the absence of an arrest, suspicion continued to follow him within the community.

The airport DNA match proved that Eugene Gligor was the man linked to the struggle inside the Preer home. The result gave Lauren certainty that her father had not killed her mother.

For Augustin and Dupouy, clearing Sandy formed an important part of solving the case. Justice involved holding Gligor responsible and correcting a conclusion that had harmed another member of Leslie’s family.

Genetic Genealogy Transforms the Investigation

The Preer investigation demonstrates the power of forensic genetic genealogy when standard database searches fail. The crime-scene DNA did not change during the 23 years between the murder and Gligor’s arrest. The methods available to interpret it changed.

The genealogical search did not produce Gligor’s name through a direct match. It identified relatives, including a distant connection in Romania. Detectives then built family trees, reviewed records and compared possible relatives with people found in the original case file.

The investigation also shows why the preservation of evidence matters. The blood and fingernail material collected in 2001 remained suitable for testing more than two decades later. Without those samples, detectives might never have identified the killer.

The final confirmation came through traditional police work. Surveillance, the retrieval of the discarded water bottle and direct laboratory comparison turned the genealogy lead into evidence capable of supporting an arrest and prosecution.

A Long Road to Justice for Leslie Preer

The resolution of Leslie Preer’s murder did not restore the years lost by her family. Sandy died before his name was cleared, and Lauren spent much of her adult life without knowing who had killed her mother.

The conviction answered the central question of identity but left questions about motive. Gligor claimed that drug and alcohol use erased his memory, while prosecutors argued that he remained unwilling to disclose the reason for the attack.

For the detectives, the sentence marked the end of years of evidence review, genealogy research and family contact. Augustin described the result as bittersweet because the arrest and conviction could not undo Leslie’s death.

“First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder” presents the case as both a family tragedy and a study of changing forensic science. The episode shows how evidence recovered during a victim’s final struggle survived years of uncertainty, cleared an innocent man and identified a killer who had escaped accountability for more than two decades.

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