Shivangi Sinha
The use of DNA technology has revolutionized criminal investigations and has allowed authorities to solve cases that once seemed unsolvable. Over the years, countless cold cases have been cracked thanks to advanced genetic testing, bringing closure to families and justice to victims. This same technology played a crucial role in the conviction of Eugene Teodor Gligor for the 2001 murder of Leslie Preer. ABC’s ‘20/20’ episode, ‘First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder,’ delves into the case and details how police used DNA evidence to track Eugene down to finally bring him to justice.
Eugene Teodor Gligor Was Leslie Preer’s Neighbor at the Time of Her Killing
Eugene Teodor Gligor grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where his family had lived for many years. They were well-known and active within the community. In 1998, as a teenager, Eugene began dating Lauren Preer, the daughter of their neighbor. The relationship brought the two families closer, as is often the case with young romances, but it ended after a while. Years later, on May 2, 2001, Lauren’s mother, Leslie Preer, was found brutally murdered in her home. The crime shook the entire neighborhood and caused a lot of panic. Eugene’s family remained in the area briefly before eventually relocating.
In February 2002, police received a tip from a neighbor suggesting they look into Eugene as a possible suspect. The neighbor mentioned frequent noise complaints, underage drinking, and drug use at his house. Investigators had already collected DNA evidence from the crime scene, including material from underneath Preer’s fingernails. It indicated that she had fought her attacker. However, the DNA did not match anyone in the national database, and the tip provided no concrete leads. The case eventually went cold. Meanwhile, Eugene’s life was marked by run-ins with the law. He faced arrests for weapons possession, DUI, and theft, and was even listed as a suspect in several burglaries. Despite this, he was never convicted, and his DNA was never entered into the database.
In 2023, investigators received approval to submit the DNA from the crime scene to Family Tree DNA’s database. The results linked the sample to Eugene’s family, and when police discovered that he had lived in the area at the time of the murder, he became their primary suspect. He was placed under surveillance, and on June 9, 2024, officers observed him at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. After he drank from a water bottle and discarded it, police retrieved it and sent it for testing. The DNA matched the crime scene evidence, leading to Eugene’s arrest in Washington, DC, just a week later.
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Eugene Teodor Gligor is Serving His Sentence at a Maryland Prison Today
Eugene Teodor Gligor was initially arrested on June 15, 2024, and charged with first-degree murder. He was being held without bond. In May 2025, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder after prosecutors stated there was no evidence the crime had been premeditated. On August 28, 2025, Eugene was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 22 years to be served and the remainder suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. At sentencing, he expressed remorse and said that Leslie Preer had always been kind to him. He apologized and stated that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol during the crime. He is currently incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC) in Hagerstown, Maryland, with no public details about parole eligibility.
