Santa Cruz man arrested for murder of former Lake County resident

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Gerald W. Galaway Jr., 38, of Santa Cruz, Calif., was placed under arrest on Friday, September 2, 2011, for the murder of Celestial Summer Dove Cassman, 35, also of Santa Cruz. Galaway is alleged to have killed Cassman while the two were visiting Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday, September 1, 2011. Photo courtesy of the Maui Police Department.




 



LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Santa Cruz man has been arrested for the murder of a former Lake County woman.


Gerald W. Galaway Jr., 38, was arrested on Friday, Sept. 9, for the murder of 35-year-old Santa Cruz attorney Celestial Summer Dove Cassman, according to Maui Police Lt. Wayne Ibarra.


Cassman, who grew up in Lake County and graduated in 1994 from Clear Lake High School, was found dead near Maui's Nakalele Point on the night of Thursday, Sept. 1, as Lake County News has reported.


Ibarra said Galaway – who has been hospitalized since the day after the murder because he was injured while jumping from a cliff to escape police – was transported on Monday afternoon from the Maui Memorial Medical Center to the Wailuku Police Station for processing without incident.


Cassman and Galaway had arrived in Maui for a visit on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The following night police said witnesses saw Cassman and Galaway arguing before he allegedly threw her body on the ground repeatedly and then drug her by the head into some bushes. Her body was found later that evening.


When police arrived on the scene in response to a report of a domestic dispute, they spotted a man, later identified as Galaway, who was wearing a t-shirt and nude from the waist down, according to a police statement.


Maui Police reported that when they tried to apprehend Galaway, he jumped down a 100-foot cliff and into the ocean.


Galaway was rescued the following morning and had been hospitalized, under armed guard, until Monday, delaying his formal arrest and booking, officials reported.


Last week the Maui County Prosecutor's Office charged Galaway with second-degree murder and kidnapping, Maui County Prosecuting Attorney John Kim said.


Ibarra reported on Monday that Galaway also was arrested on a charge of first-degree attempted sexual assault. The charging documents had indicated that Cassman's clothing had been torn and her body's orientation suggested she had been sexually assaulted.


Galaway is being held without bail. Ibarra said Galaway is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

 

 

 

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Celestial Summer Dove Cassman, 35, of Santa Cruz, Calif., was found dead in Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday, September 1, 2011. Her male companion, Gerald W. Galaway Jr., 38, also of Santa Cruz, Calif., has been arrested for her murder. Courtesy photo.
 

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