First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder (Rebroadcast)

Episode of 20/20 · July 25, 2026 · 1 h 23 min

20/20 recounts the 2001 murder of Leslie Prier in Chevy Chase, Maryland, solved 23 years later when genetic genealogy and an airport DNA sting identified her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

Summary

This rebroadcast 20/20 episode examined the May 2001 killing of Leslie Prier, who was found strangled and beaten in the shower of her Chevy Chase, Maryland, home after failing to show up for work. Her boss, Brett Reedy, and her husband, Carl "Sandy" Prier, discovered blood in the house, and police quickly focused on Sandy, who described marital strain and his wife's drinking in interviews, failed a polygraph, and later stopped cooperating on his attorney's advice.

Unknown male DNA found under Leslie's fingernails and in blood at the scene did not match Sandy, coworkers, or a neighbor that daughter Lauren Prier suspected, yet investigators continued to suspect Sandy, who died in 2017 under that cloud. In 2022 Montgomery County cold case detectives Tara Augustin and Alison Dupuy reopened the case using forensic genetic genealogy; a high match in Romania led them to the Gligor family and to Eugene Gligor, Lauren's high school boyfriend. A 2002 tip about him, his absence from the funeral, and a 2021 protective order petition from his second wife raised their suspicions.

In June 2024 detectives collected Gligor's DNA from a water bottle during a staged customs screening at Dulles Airport; it matched the crime scene, and he was arrested in Washington, D.C. He initially claimed no memory, then pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attributing the killing to an alcohol blackout. Augustin theorized he had broken in and killed Leslie when she recognized him. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, and the anchors noted he could be eligible for parole after half that time.

Chapters

0:27
Cold open
A preview of the brutal Chevy Chase murder, the suspicion of the husband, and the unknown DNA at the heart of the case.
2:57
Leslie Prier fails to show up
Brett Reedy and Sandy Prier find blood in the Prier home, call 911, and police discover Leslie's body in the shower.
15:37
Suspicion falls on the husband
Investigators interview Sandy Prier about his alibi, marital strain and Leslie's drinking, and he fails a polygraph and stops cooperating.
30:14
Unknown DNA and a cold case
DNA from under Leslie's fingernails excludes Sandy, but detectives still suspect him while the case goes cold and Sandy dies in 2017.
37:55
Cold case unit reopens the investigation
Detectives Augustin and Dupuy turn to forensic genetic genealogy and find a promising match in Romania.
Linked moment · 44:12Skip to 44:12 using a listen link in the info box.
44:12
Eugene Gligor emerges
The genealogy trail leads to Lauren's high school boyfriend, Eugene Gligor, a trusted figure in the Prier household.
51:25
Red flags in the case file
Detectives note Gligor skipped the funeral for a sudden road trip, an ignored 2002 tip, and Sandy's own distrust of him.
56:37
Gligor's life and a protective order
Gligor's adult life, struggles with alcohol, and a 2021 protective order petition from his ex-wife suggest a capacity for violence.
1:00:08
The Dulles Airport sting
Detectives obtain Gligor's DNA from a discarded water bottle during a staged customs screening, producing a match.
1:04:16
Arrest and interrogation
Gligor is arrested outside his D.C. apartment and claims no memory when confronted with the DNA evidence.
1:13:20
Building the case and a guilty plea
Ex-wives and his brother describe Gligor's drinking and manipulation, and he pleads guilty to second-degree murder.
1:19:57
Sentencing and aftermath
Lauren confronts Gligor in court, he cites blackouts, and he is sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Brett Reedy
Reedy recalled suspecting immediately that someone had hurt Leslie and tried to clean up, while Sandy seemed in denial.
“I think my gut was somebody hurt somebody and tried to clean it up. Sandy's reaction was, she must have fallen down”
Listen from 11:24 · Murder of Leslie Prier
Lauren Prier
Lauren Prier insisted her father could never have killed her mother despite police suspicion.
“There's no way in hell that my dad looked my mom in the eyes and strangled her. That's impossible”
Listen from 33:47 · Murder of Leslie Prier
Lauren Prier
Lauren Prier said she believes her father died of a broken heart while still under suspicion.
“Some of my uncles and some of my cousins were like, there's no way. And so they were out of touch with him. I mean, I think my dad died of a broken heart”
Listen from 36:47 · Murder of Leslie Prier
Tara Augustin
Augustin said the ex-wife's protective order petition revealed a propensity for violence that made Gligor a plausible killer.
“there is a propensity for violence, and now that kind of changes things to where, okay, he might be capable of actually killing someone”
Listen from 59:56 · Order of protection
Tara Augustin
Augustin said the lab returned the DNA match from the water bottle within a week.
“we obtained the sample on a Sunday, and by Friday, we had a report saying that it was a match”
Listen from 1:04:35 · DNA evidence
Tara Augustin
Augustin said Gligor's relationship to the family made the crime worse because he betrayed their trust.
“he betrayed any kind of like loyalty or relationship and trust that he had with the family”
Listen from 1:11:10 · Murder of Leslie Prier
Tara Augustin
Augustin believes Gligor broke into the house thinking it was empty and killed Leslie Prier in a panic when she recognized him.
“I think that Eugene was breaking into the house thinking no one was home and he encountered Leslie and knowing that she would recognize him”
Listen from 1:17:50 · Murder of Leslie Prier
Lauren Prier
Lauren Prier believes Gligor panicked when her mother recognized him and that he put her in the shower to remove DNA.
“And then I think he got scared because he was in the house and she saw his face and knew exactly who he was”
Listen from 1:18:21 · Murder of Leslie Prier
Tara Augustin
Augustin said she does not believe Gligor's courtroom expressions of remorse.
“I think it's the Eugene show in his mind, and I think it's the same thing over and over. I don't believe anything he says”
Listen from 1:23:21 · Murder of Leslie Prier

People

In the conversation

Deborah RobertsABC News correspondent and 20/20 co-anchor who conducted the episode's interviews
David MuirABC News anchor and 20/20 co-anchor
Tara AugustinMontgomery County Police cold case detective who reopened the Prier case
Alison DupuyMontgomery County Police cold case detective
Lauren PrierDaughter of murder victim Leslie Prier
Brett ReedyLeslie Prier's former boss who called 911 after finding blood in her home
Brad BellABC7 News Maryland bureau chief who covered the case since 2001
John McCarthyVeteran MMA referee, PFL commentator and founder of the C.O.M.M.A.N.D. referee and judge training school
LindaFormer coworker of Leslie Prier

Discussed

Leslie PrierChevy Chase, Maryland, woman murdered in her home in May 2001
Virgil GligorName found in genealogical research that linked detectives to the Gligor family

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From the publisher

When DNA evidence collected from an airport sting operation breaks open a cold murder case, authorities are led straight to a killer. (OAD 09/12/2025) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 30, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime