Police say /*Daniel Galvan*/ killed his wife with the gun she bought to protect herself from him. And, they say, he did it right in front of his mother.
A troubled relationship ended in this house last June when Galvan allegedly killed his wife Annmarie. Fresno police responded to a shooting call and found Annmarie lying on the floor of a bedroom.
"Based on my training and experience, she appeared to be suffering from or had sustained several gunshot wounds to the upper torso and face," said homicide detective Ignacio Ruiz.
Homicide investigators say Daniel's mother was in the room when her son committed the crime. She told them there was a fight. Daniel left the room, came back, and she heard as many as eight gunshots. She didn't see it happen, though, and her son tried to explain it away.
"Daniel told her that he had fired blanks," Ruiz said.
Family members called 911, though, and police arrested Daniel at the scene.
His defense attorney says Galvan was in a zombie-like state and may not have known what he was doing -- a claim backed up by family members who tell Action News he was using drugs.
But police say he was pretty clear-headed when he described the crime to them that night.
He told them he pointed the gun at his wife's head and fired it because he was going to "go all the way" to end his disputes with Annmarie.
"Galvan explained that it was a last resort because Annmarie wanted him to change yet he refused to change," Det. Ruiz said.
A judge decided Thursday there is enough evidence for Galvan to stand trial for his wife's murder. Two child endangerment charges were dismissed, though. The Galvans' two children were in the house at the time of the shooting, but they were in a different room.
