Attorneys given access to Galilee cemetery

A firsthand glimpse into what happened

Attorneys representing parties in the Galilee Memorial Gardens case were given access to t he troubled cemetery Monday — the first time many of t hem had been i nside t he grounds si nce a court order locked the gates 14 months ago.

David Kustoff, t he former U. S. attorney who is the lo-cal representative of the state i n matters regarding Galilee, said the state “agreed upon an inspection for the lawyers representing the different parties” in the civil litigation regarding the cemetery on Ellis Road in Bartlett. Jemar Lambert, owner of Galilee, pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges in connection with t he operation of the cemetery. Lambert received a 10-year suspended sentence in the case and was placed on pro- bation for those 10 years, avoiding jail time.

The sunny Monday afternoon provided a view of the grounds, previously only visible from the locked gates on Ellis. There was the washed-out area where Lambert reportedly had removed the pavement from a road in hopes of gaining more burial spaces. There were dozens of monuments near t he small office in the southwest corner of the property. Nearby, a tent used over gravesites during ceremonies was bent, near collapsing.

The ground over one grave of a person who died more than 10 years ago was humped as if it was a recent burial. Another from 201 3 was sunken below ground level. Many spots sunken in the shape of what seemed to be a grave had no tombstone or marking.

“Not to be too dramatic about it, but it’s like walking through a thousand people’s nightmares,” said Jason Yasinsky, an attorney with Nahon, Saharovich and Trotz, which represents about 100 fa milies in a class-action lawsuit in Circuit Court. He later added: “It’s amazing. It doesn’t look like a cemetery. Some spots look more like a construction zone.”

Howard Manis, an attorney for another of the class-action lawsuits against Galilee and funeral homes who worked with the cemetery, said Monday’s access provided a firsthand look for the lawyers involved to see not only the look of the grounds, but a glimpse into what may have happened there.