Stephanie Ramos

After 23 years, someone was in custody for the murder of Leslie Prier.

But Eugene Gligor's arrest didn't answer the question at the core of this case.

Why?

Why was Leslie Pryor killed?

In June 2024, Eugene Gligor was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

If convicted, he faced a possible life sentence.

In the months after Gligor's arrest, the run-up to a trial began, with prosecutors and Gligor's attorneys making a flurry of filings.

But then, in April 2025, things came to a screeching halt when Eugene Gligor pled guilty to murder in the second degree.

As a result, Gligor would avoid life in prison and there would be no trial.

I asked Lauren about Eugene's plea.

What was your reaction to that?

Thank God.

You didn't want to go to trial?

No.

That would have been hell.

No trial meant avoiding long days in court, days likely spent looking at gruesome evidence.

Plus, there's no guarantee that a trial would have answered the big question at the center of this case.

Why on earth did Eugene Gligor murder Leslie Pryor?

Still, in digging through court filings and evidence collected by police, there are hints that might help explain how the grisly events of May 2nd, 2001 came to pass.

I asked Detective Tara Augustine for her theory of the case.