Husband in state hospital

ALAMOSA — While Elias “Lee” Gallegos, 74, is undergoing evaluation and treatment at the Colorado Mental Health Institute, his criminal case is on hold.

District Judge Michael Gonzales on Tuesday said he was glad Gallegos was at the state hospital rather than jail at this point. He told Gallegos’ children who were in the courtroom for the status hearing, “People like your dad should not be where he was.”

Gallegos was charged with murder in the stabbing death of his wife Lorraine, 71, in July of 2018 at their rural Alamosa home.

According to family members, Lee Gallegos had been suffering from Frontal Lobe Dementia, which had become rapidly and aggressively worse in the months preceding the homicide.

Judge Gonzales had ordered that Gallegos be remanded to the state hospital, which is where he remained on Tuesday when the court reviewed the status of his case. He was not transported for the hearing, which Judge Gonzales said was appropriate given the circumstances.

Gallegos was transported to the state hospital in Pueblo in February according to District Attorney Crista Newmyer-Olsen. She told the judge there have been additional evaluations there and new psychological tests for which the results are not yet available. Judge Gonzales said hopefully the results would indicate if there were any treatment options available “to get him in a better spot.”

The judge added, “Right now he will stay at the state hospital until we find something different. That will be his continued placement.”

Gonzales said Deputy State Public Defender James Valenti planned to visit Gallegos and explain what was happening in his case. Alamosa Head Public Defender Jamie Keairns added that Gallegos’ children who were in the courtroom would also let their father know what was happening. She added that his children wanted to personally thank the court for his placement at the state hospital. She said they feel it is a better situation for him and they are able to visit him more easily now.

The judge scheduled another status in the case for July 16. Keairns asked if Gallegos would need to appear if nothing changes between now and then with his condition. Judge Gonzales said he would rather wait until that time to decide. “Obviously we don’t want to do anything to disrupt his treatment or physical or mental well being,” he said.

The judge added, “I wish him the best of luck. They’ve got a lot of work ahead.”