Prison time added for man who spent 27 years as a fugitive

CARSON CITY – After six minutes successful tribunal Monday, Samuel Gallardo returned to authorities situation facing astatine slightest 3 much years connected his sentence, but knowing that the household of the antheral whose decease helium caused had forgiven him.

“I told his defenders, fto him cognize that we forgive him,” the victim’s member said aft the hearing.

Gallardo’s sentencing brings to a adjacent a astir 30-year odyssey for the household of Gary Selby Jr. Gallardo was serving a 20-year condemnation for a fatal 1992 drunk driving clang that killed Selby erstwhile helium walked distant from a minimum information situation campy successful 1994.

He spent astir 27 years arsenic a fugitive earlier he was found, with the investigative assistance of the victim’s family, surviving connected the Pacific seashore of Mexico. Now 52, helium was returned to Nevada custody successful April.

On Monday, Judge James Todd Russell added 3 to 7½ much years to Gallardo’s condemnation for the escape.

“I would similar to apologize,” Gallardo said successful court, speaking successful tribunal done an interpreter. “I was young and ignorant. I’m not a atrocious person. It’s mistakes that we marque successful beingness and I’m present to instrumentality attraction of it now.”

Gary Selby Jr. was 18 erstwhile Gallardo, driving the incorrect way, struck Selby’s vehicle, sidesplitting him and injuring 2 passengers. Gallardo walked distant from the Stewart Conservation Camp northbound for Carson City connected Feb. 24, 1994, little than a twelvemonth aft opening his 20-year sentence.

Selby’s parents, Gary Sr. and Stephanie, younger member Dennis, and Dennis’s wife, Jodie, drove from Vacaville, Calif., to beryllium successful tribunal for Gallardo’s sentencing Monday. It was Jodie’s efforts to excavation backmost into the lawsuit successful 2015 that helped rekindle the investigation.

Outside court, Dennis reached retired to Gallardo’s nationalist defender to convey the family’s connection of forgiveness.

“He’s got a family. He needs to get home,” Gary Sr. said of Gallardo. “He needs to instrumentality attraction of what helium has to instrumentality attraction of and get home. Even though we miss idiosyncratic a lot, we bash person a heart. If it was up to me, I fto him spell location now, due to the fact that he’s got a location there, he’s got grandkids, a wife.”

“October 4 volition beryllium 29 years my son’s been gone,” Stephanie Selby said. “It’s lone due to the fact that of God that we could forgive him. Otherwise we could not determination on. And you person to, due to the fact that it’ll conscionable devour you up.”

Contact Capital Bureau newsman Bill Dentzer astatine bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews connected Twitter.