Court asked to allow Galloway Jr.’s prior conviction as evidence
State attorney hopes for reversal of previous ruling
Should a conviction of kidnapping, assault and attempted rape by the man charged with murdering Danielle Stislicki be allowed as evidence when that case goes to trial?
An Oakland County Circuit Court judge’s ruling that the other case against Floyd Galloway, Jr. should not be admitted as evidence is now being considered by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments for and against Wednesday morning. Assistant Attorney General Scott Shimkus is seeking a reversal, while Galloway’s defense attorney Ellen Michaels believes the decision by the lower court’s Judge Phyllis McMillen should stand.
Stislicki was a 28-yearold Farmington Hills resident who went missing Dec. 2, 2016. Her body has not been found.
Galloway was a former security guard at a MetLife building in Southfield where Stislicki worked, and was the last known person seen with her. Prosecutors believe that on the day Stislicki went missing, Galloway created a ruse about car trouble in the MetLife parking lot to get a ride from her. They ended up at Galloway’s house in Berkley, based on video surveillance and cell phone evidence. Also, Stislicki’s DNA was found in Galloway’s bedroom near a piece of carpet that had recently been replaced.
Galloway is serving a 1635 year prison sentence for kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct and assault for attacking a woman in Hines Park in Wayne County three months before Stislicki vanished. He was sentenced in December 2017.
Arguing before the panel of judges consisting of Douglas Shapiro, Mark Cavanagh and Kathleen Jansen, Shimkus said McMillen abused her discretion in ruling that jury could be unfairly prejudiced with allowed to hear about an attack by Galloway three months before Stislicki went missing on Dec. 2, 2016. The two cases have strong similarities, he argued, and knowing those facts will help demonstrate motive to the jury.
Michaels, however, said the prosecution is attempting to use the conviction based on “speculation” in the Stislicki case.
“They don’t know what happened. What we know is Danielle Stislicki is missing. That’s what we know,” Michael s said. “They are trying to bootstrap their version of events by allowing this prior incident into evidence. That is the only reason, to show Mr. Galloway is a bad guy... the facts don’t line up.”
Shimkus pointed out evidence from the September 2019 preliminary exam that he believes shows “the attack on her was not random, he planned the attack,” and that both Stislicki and the victim in the prior case had similar physical characteristics and, he believes, were lured “to areas of isolation.”
In both cases, Shimkus added, Galloway used his work hours as a false alibi when in fact he didn’t show up for work on the day of the attack or on the day Stislicki went missing. Shimkus also said that in the prior case, the victim was strangled which coincides with an Oakland County medical examiner’s assertion on what may have happened to Stislicki, based on evidence in Galloway’s bedroom.
While the oral arguments were presented via YouTube, the Galloway case is currently under seal. Galloway is scheduled for a status conference next month before McMillen. A trial date is pending.