A Yale professor has spoken out after her father was arrested in connection with her mother’s death 41 years ago.
Police in Foster City, California, announced that they have arrested 81-year-old Patrick Galvani for the murder of his estranged wife, Nancy Galvani, back in 1982.
Alison Galvani, a professor at Yale, was only about five years old when her mother died. She told the Los Angeles Times that she is grateful to the police and the district attorney for “pursuing justice for my mom.” She added that they are working hard to solve even the most difficult cases.
Nancy Galvani’s body was found in a sleeping bag near the San Mateo Bridge in Foster City. The case remained unsolved for many years, but police say recent developments have allowed them to move forward. They have not said what those developments are.
Patrick Galvani was a suspect early on, but the charges were dropped because there weren’t enough witnesses or evidence. His lawyer said he passed a lie-detector test. Patrick Galvani claimed his wife had a “mental illness.”
Patrick Galvani was arrested in San Francisco and taken to jail on a murder charge.
His current lawyer says that his client is innocent and that the case was dropped before due to lack of evidence. He believes his client will be proven innocent again. However, the District Attorney says they have enough evidence to convict him and have a determined prosecutor on the case.
Around the time of her death, Nancy had filed for divorce and a restraining order against Patrick. She had moved out of their family home. The professor wondered if her father used her as a way to get her mother to her death. She stated not knowing what happened to her mother haunted her all her life and asked her father to walk in front of her during her wedding so she wouldn’t have to touch him. She even accused him once of the crime when he visited her family in Connecticut in 2008, telling him, “You killed my mother.” She said he replied, “It wasn’t my fault.”
