GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The husband of a Gwinnett County woman who died nearly four years ago has been charged in her death, police said.
Volunteers found the body of 44-year-old Nique Leili in July 2011 just minutes after they started a search for her in the woods near the Oak Village subdivision.
At the time, police said Matt Leili told them that he had obtained a lawyer. He refused to answer their questions and would not allow police to talk to the family's children.
Nique Leili's body was found the next morning. Police said Matt Leili is not the only suspect, but he is the only one whom they are prepared to name.
Matthew Leili moved to Vermont later in 2011, taking the couple's two children with him. Detectives did not have a legal basis to prevent the move.
In late 2014, a new forensic investigation was conducted on computers seized from the Leili home, giving investigators new evidence, authorities said.
Investigators and the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office determined that there was probable cause to charge Matthew Leili with malice murder.
"This was enough to tip the scales. While we felt there we could have maybe made the charge a year ago, we still had things in the works," said Cpl. Jake Smith with Gwinnett County police.
Matthew Leili was scheduled to appear in federal court on a civil matter in Atlanta on March 4.
Investigators arrested him at the federal court building and took him to the Gwinnett County Detention Center, where he remains in custody without bond.
The arrest came out of the blue, even for the victim’s family.
“We had no idea it was coming,” said Nique Leili’s sister Amy Robinson. “It's a thing I've kind of pictured in my mind for a while but kind of had doubts I would actually ever see it.”
Police say Leili was asphyxiated by her husband.
Besides the murder charge, Leili is facing three counts of eavesdropping. Investigators say he had a sophisticated surveillance system set up in the home that recorded conversations his wife and others had when he wasn't around.
WSBTV
