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Luzerne County receives one purchase offer for old juvenile detention center

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<p>WILKES-BARRE&#8212; Prosecutors say they&#8217;re appealing a Pennsylvania county judge&#8217;s decision to give a new trial to an elderly woman convicted of poisoning her son&#8217;s girlfriend with antifreeze, leaving her near death.</p><p>Eighty-four-year-old Helen Galli, of Wyoming, was sentenced in 2013 to 5&#189; to 12 years in prison. She was convicted in Luzerne County of aggravated assault and reckless endangering.</p><p>Galli allegedly laced a glass of Juicy Juice with antifreeze and told her son, Victor Galli, to give it to his girlfriend, Dawn Simyan, according to prosecutors. Despite suffering severe medical issues, including kidney failure, Simyan survived and took the stand, testifying that her boyfriend handed her the drink and said, &#8220;My mother said, &#8216;Drink this. It will make you feel better.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p><a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/549102/judge-hears-arguments-in-helen-gallis-appeal" target="_blank">In an appeal hearing June 1 before Pierantoni</a>, attorney Al Flora Jr. argued Galli&#8217;s then-attorney, Joseph Sklarosky Sr., failed to object to hearsay evidence that established a link between Galli and the laced drink, including her son&#8217;s alleged comments to Simyan.</p><p>Sklarosky said his theory was Simyan poisoned herself to get Victor Galli&#8217;s attention. His intention in letting the evidence in, he argued, was for Galli to then testify, impressing upon the jury that she was not a &#8220;mean, old, vindictive woman,&#8221; as he alleged she was portrayed by prosecutors.</p><p>Galli, however, refused to testify against his advice, he said.</p><p>A judge ruled last week that Galli&#8217;s attorney was ineffective for not objecting to testimony that she told her son&#8217;s girlfriend to consume the antifreeze-laced drink.</p><p>Flora is seeking to have Galli released on bail.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Galli </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_galli-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Galli </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>The Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Prosecutors to appeal Galli ruling