Eugene Gligor pleaded guilty Wednesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the 2001 killing of Leslie Preer, closing a cold case that had remained unsolved for over two decades. The 45-year-old was arrested last year after investigators used forensic genetic genealogy to match his DNA to evidence found at the Chevy Chase crime scene.
Gligor, who once dated Preer’s daughter as a teenager, admitted to the killing but has not provided a motive. Prosecutors accepted a plea to the lesser charge due to difficulties proving premeditation, though Preer suffered multiple blunt force injuries. The second-degree murder conviction carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence.
The case broke open in 2024 when police used DNA from the crime scene to build a genetic profile, eventually identifying Gligor through a distant relative in Romania and confirming the match using DNA from a discarded water bottle.
Gligor, who had no prior criminal record, had not previously been flagged in any DNA database. His sentencing is set for August 28, when several of Preer’s siblings are expected to testify.
Preer’s family, including her daughter Lauren, attended the plea hearing and described the outcome as “justice,” remembering Leslie as a beloved and caring person.
