ER - Victim’s Family Says Gallegos Is Supportive, Attentive

Interesting article. Time tells a different tale. See links at the end.

Victim’s Family Says Gallegos Is Supportive, Attentive
by Christine Bensen The Eureka Reporter 2/26/04

Marie Campbell (left) comforts her best friend Lisa Lawler, who broke down during a news conference Wednesday while talking about her sister whose remains were found in 2002.
In a news conference Wednesday, Eureka resident Lisa Lawler said she supports Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos who faces a recall election March 2.

“(The purpose of this press conference) is to express our opinion that Paul Gallegos is not being soft on crime,” Lawler said.

Lawler, then Lisa LaDeRoute, was 18 years old when her sister Andrea’s boyfriend John Annibel reported Andrea missing.

Andrea, then 20 years old, had been living with Annibel in Fortuna for two weeks when she disappeared. During the investigation, blood stains were found on the carpet, wall, bedding and mirror in the couple’s apartment.

Carmen Culver, Lawler’s aunt, said the day after Annibel reported her niece missing he moved to Colorado.

Lawler said investigators and law-enforcement officers working on the case told the family and media that there was enough evidence to charge Annibel.

Annibel, currently serving a prison sentence for the 1998 murder of Deborah Sloan, was never charged.

Lawler said for 22 years she had trouble getting in touch with people at the District Attorney’s Office. She said despite calls and certified letters, then District Attorney Terry Farmer never contacted her.

“(We received) no response, not a phone call, nothing,” she said.

Culver said in 2002 LaDeRoute’s remains were found by a land surveyor, at a location in Carlotta where Annibel had worked for 13 years.

Lawler said after her sister’s remains were found she contacted Gallegos and she and other family members met with him in his office.

“This is open communication,” she said.

Lawler said although Gallegos did not know much about the case, Lawler said Gallegos did some research and they have kept in contact. Currently, she is waiting to find out when she can have her sister’s remains so that her family can cremate them.

Although nothing will bring her sister back she appreciates Gallegos’ attentiveness. She said before she did not feel like she was being taken seriously by the District Attorney’s Office.

“I don’t know Paul, I have no feeling about him one way or the other except that he has been open with me,” Lawler said.

She said she feels that the recall committee Safety Yes! is exploiting victims’ families. Lawler said she wants people to realize that Gallegos has to wait for investigations and police reports to file charges and that although charges cannot always be filed, as in the case of her sister’s disappearance and homicide, Gallegos has been supportive of her family.

“If it were your sister or your loved one, you would want Paul,” she said.
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