Jury selection begins for murder trial of custodial dad, step (St. Clair County, Michigan)

We've posted on custodial dad JOE GALVAN and the step before. Both are now finally going to trial for the horrible torture and murder of his 3-year-old daughter. Looks like another CPS f*** up. Quel surprise.

http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20100615/NEWS01/6150301

Prhaze's memory set in stone
Community rallies to buy headstone for slain toddler; jury selection begins during trial of father, stepmother
By LIZ SHEPARD
Times Herald
June 15, 2010

PORT HURON TWP. -- The grass still is sparse over parts of Prhaze Galvan's grave.

But it's difficult to notice with the piles of silk flowers and gifts surrounding the 3-year-old girl's headstone. The marker -- a heart cradled by an angel -- bears a picture of Prhaze smiling wide and winking. Above the photo, the dates of her birth and death -- February 15, 2006, and January, 15, 2010 -- help tell the story of her sad, short life.

Family members and friends gathered Monday at Prhaze's gravesite in Woodland Cemetery. Many said they still are dealing with the anger and sorrow that has dominated their lives since Prhaze died Jan. 15 in her Kimball Township home.

"It's as real as it was when I got the phone call ... at 10 minutes to 11 (o'clock) Jan. 15," said Georgie Kooiker, Prhaze's great-aunt.

Prhaze's father -- Joe Galvan, 26 -- and stepmother -- Jennifer Galvan, 29 -- are scheduled to begin a jury trial today on charges stemming from the girl's death. The couple faces felonies including murder, torture and child abuse for the blunt-force head trauma officials have said killed Prhaze.

Potential jurors will report to St. Clair County Circuit Judge Daniel Kelly's courtroom at 9 a.m. The Galvans' lawyers asked for a change of venue, but Kelly has said he will try to seat a jury before making a decision.

Family members hope the trial -- which Prosecutor Mike Wendling has said will take at least two weeks -- can be the start of closure.

Some plan to sit through the testimony, much of which will be a repeat of what they heard during February's preliminary examination in district court. During the examination, witnesses told grisly details of Prhaze's life.

Some said Joe Galvan used to tie a rope from his wrist to Prhaze's leg so she wouldn't get up in the middle of the night and often punished the girl harshly. Some of Prhaze's caregivers noticed bruises on her body, bruises Prhaze said she received when hit with a spoon as punishment for getting out of a cold shower. Jennifer Galvan "hated" Prhaze, at least one witness said, and treated her differently than her siblings.

Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz testified the girl showed signs of chronic abuse. The head trauma that killed her, he said, caused bleeding underneath her skull and caused her brain to swell.

Despite the shuttering details, it's the girl pictured on the gravestone family and friends said they will remember.

The face is that of the child Mary Myers said she knew before the Galvans were given custody of Prhaze. Myers, Prhaze's maternal great-grandmother, said she wasn't allowed to see the girl when the Galvans got involved.

Mike McCauley, whose mother took care of Prhaze for nine months, said supporters will protest in front of the courthouse during the trial. The group, which has been rallying community support since Prhaze's death, will wear T-shirts asking that justice be done.

"There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think of her," he said. "We want justice for Prhaze. We want Prhaze to rest in peace."

McCauley said the community has responded to the call -- collecting money to help pay for Prhaze's headstone, which was installed last week.

Jason Laturno's International Screen Printing in Port Huron was one of several businesses that for months collected donations to help cover the bill. He also helped organize a fundraiser at Viking Lanes in Marysville.

"It's just a horrific story. It's so sad," he said. "She didn't even have a chance for anything."

Alan Jowett, owner of Jowett Funeral Home in Port Huron, said his company went beyond what it normally does for a family because of the circumstances surrounding the girl's death. He said community donations covered the entire cost of the headstone -- more than $5,000. Any money left over after the headstone and cemetery fees are covered will be given to the St. Clair County Child Abuse/Neglect Council.

As the Galvans' trial begins, state officials are continuing to investigate circumstances surrounding Prhaze's death.

Officials at the Office of Children's Ombudsman did not return phone calls Monday.

Former state lawmaker Lauren Hager, who along with state Sen. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, requested the investigation to determine if Child Protective Services and the Department of Human Services took appropriate action to protect Prhaze and other children in the Galvans' care.

Hager said he has not received an update on the case recently.

"They told me the file was very thick and there were just a lot of things to go through," he said. "They're very painstaking on their approach to do such an investigation, as they should be.

"I will, as will Sen. (Jud) Gilbert's office, put pressure on them to get findings and recommendations back."