Galas goes before parole board

LIHUE — A man sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading no contest on an assault in the first-degree charge in connection with the 2006 strangulation death of his estranged wife will soon find out if he will be eligible for early release.

Darren Galas, 46, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of Sandra Galas, but pleaded to the lesser charge in January.

Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar and Sandra Galas’ father, Larry Mendonca Sr., attended a parole board hearing on Oahu Friday that will determine his minimum term.

A decision on the matter should be reached in about two weeks.

In a statement to the board, Mendonca described in detail the results of his daughter’s autopsy report.

“What happened to my daughter Sandra was cruel, unjust and senseless. Period! There’s no way around that, no matter how you cut it or color it,” Mendonca told the board. “Darren Galas literally beat the living daylights out of my daughter. He clearly meant to cause her serious bodily harm, and he did.”

Galas’ assault on his daughter continues into the present, Mendonca said.

“He steadfastly remains defiant, unrepentant and remorseless about what he did. He’s done everything possible over the past 12 years to put the blame on someone else for what he himself did to Sandy,” Mendonca said.

In his statement, Mendonca described how Galas has tainted the couple’s two sons of any happy memories of their mother and kept them from having a relationship with their grandparents.

“We’ve lost the boys,” he said. “Despite this alienation, however, we continue to view both grandsons as cherished members of our ohana who are welcome at anytime.”

Mendonca said what Galas did to his daughter falls squarely within the rubric of domestic violence of the worst kind.

“I’m simply seeking justice,” Mendonca said.

In his statement to the board, Kollar said Galas displayed a callous and cruel disregard for the safety and welfare of another person and recommended he serve the full sentence.

“The victim was the defendant’s wife; she died as a result of his conduct. Two young children were left without a mother,” Kollar said. “The assault was cruel and the victim’s final moments must have been incredibly painful; death by strangulation is slow and excruciating.”

In addition, Kollar said, “The victim, before losing her life, lived in fear of the defendant and was the victim of his psychological and physical harassment and torment.”

Kollar said the offense was clearly premeditated and targeted, and that Galas took considerable steps to conceal his involvement in the crime.

On Jan. 25, 2006, the body of Sandra Galas, 27, was found strangled in her car at her home in Eleele. The case remained open until a grand jury returned an indictment in October 2012.

The couple married in 1999 and separated in 2005. That same year, Sandra Galas filed for divorce and wrote several emails to her attorney stating she was a victim of domestic violence.

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Bethany Freudenthal can be reached at 652-7891 or bfreudenthal@thegardenisland.com.