When the verdict was delivered, Amy Robinson leaned over and whispered into her husband’s ear — just to make sure she’d heard it right.
It had been more than four years since her sister, Nique Leili, was found dead in the woods near Lawrenceville. Was her brother-in-law — Nique’s husband — really, finally being convicted?
“I think it’s just been such a long time coming,” Robinson said Saturday, “that it was kind of a shock when it was actually there.”
Matthew Leili was indeed found guilty late Friday afternoon, guilty of murder and three counts of unlawful eavesdropping. Shortly thereafter, Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Randy Rich sentenced him to serve the rest of his life in prison without parole, tacking on 15 more years for good measure.
It was the culmination of a two-week trial that drew interest from national and international media, and of a case that had flummoxed Nique Leili's surviving family for years.
“I’m very relieved that the jury was able to see what we had been able to see,” Robinson said.
Nique Leili, 44, disappeared on July 8, 2011. Matthew Leili reported her missing two days later, and filed for divorce two days after that.
On July 16, a search party found her naked and decomposing body covered in leaves behind the entrance to her family's subdivision, not far from the busy intersection of Russell and Collins Hill roads. Gwinnett County police almost immediately named Matthew as a suspect, but said they didn't have enough evidence to charge him.
He moved to Vermont with the couple’s daughters, 9 and 12 years old at the time, and the case remained quiet for years.
But on March 5, 2015, authorities suddenly announced that a new review of computer surveillance systems seized from the Leili home had produced enough evidence to "tip the scales." Matthew Leili was arrested in Atlanta after attending a federal court hearing regarding proceeds from his wife's life insurance policy.
Throughout the two-week trial that ended Friday, jurors heard recordings of contentious conversations between the Leilis and watched video of Nique Leili in her presumed final hours of life. The prosecution contended that Nique Leili was strangled by her husband, who then destroyed the video evidence and refused to cooperate with authorities. The case was circumstantial but strong enough for a conviction — even with the couple’s daughters testifying on their father’s behalf.
Matthew Leili did not testify, but maintained his innocence in court Friday.
“I will be filing an appeal,” he said, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Robinson said Saturday that she didn’t want to think about any future court proceedings. She was at home, watching her kids play video games, doing laundry, getting ready for the work week.
“Breathing a sigh of relief,” she said, “and getting a good night’s sleep.”
About the Author
