Danielle Stislicki murder investigation: Judge denies Floyd Galloway attorney request for more discovery
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A judge denied a defense attorneys' motion for more evidence in the case of Floyd Galloway Jr., believing that all relevant information in the case had been turned over to both legal teams.
Galloway's attorney Ellen Michaels had argued she needed access to more documents before she could be satisfied that all evidence had been turned over. The prosecutor called the effort a fishing expedition.
Judge Phyllis McMillen said she found it hard to believe that any more information relevant to the case of a murdered Farmington Hills woman had not been turned over after two years of delays in the trial of Galloway. He's charged in the murder of Danielle Stislicki, a 28-year-old Farmington Hills woman who disappeared in December 2016.
Michaels argued that information being shared between law enforcement officials had violated Galloway's due process - an allegation that stems from the discovery of several search warrants that had been executed in relation to Galloway.
Michaels said she had still not received information in the case by Aug. 17. She cited not being privy to how the discovery of a tip about more information in the case impacted the prosecutor's case.
Attorneys for Galloway have previously accused the former police chief of Farmington Hills of breaking the law when he received the results of a polygraph test that the defendant took with the former police chief of Troy.
The discovery phase of the pending trial has gone through several additional hearings since the state Attorney General took over the case. Michaels had previously said the reveal of more information would have impacted the prosecution's case and she wanted to know how.
But McMillen remained unconvinced any needed information had been suppressed.
READ MORE: Danielle Stislicki murder investigation: Suspect's attorney says retired police chief broke the law
The next hearing is tentatively set for Oct. 12.
What happened to Danielle Stislicki?
Danielle disappeared on Dec. 2, 2016, as she was leaving her job at MetLife in Southfield. Galloway was a former security guard there and has long been considered a person of interest in her disappearance.
The then 28-year-old woman finished her shift that day and was expecting to meet a friend but she never showed up.
The next morning, her 2015 Jeep Renegade was found parked outside her apartment at Independence Green Apartments near Halsted and Grand River in Farmington Hills.
The SUV was locked and, when police searched it, they found her purse with her credit cards, driver's license, and other personal items.
They did not find her phone, which police have said was a key piece of evidence.
Three weeks later, Galloway's home in Berkley was searched and evidence was collected. It would be three years before it was revealed what the evidence was.
Over the course of the next three years, thousands of dollars were raised to assist with the search for Danielle and Farmington Hills police wrote #FindDani on squad cars to keep the search alive. Flyers were also posted in dozens of businesses in surrounding cities.
Her location or remains have never been found.
Charging Floyd Galloway with murder
The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office had denied charging Galloway with Danielle's murder multiple times but in April 2019, Attorney General Dana Nessel's office took over the case and ultimately charged him with her murder.
Galloway was arrested in June 2017 on unrelated charges in Livonia. He was charged with kidnappings, criminal sexual conduct, and assault after a woman was grabbed at a Livonia park, dragged down an embankment, and nearly strangled.
He ultimately pleaded guilty in Wayne County on those charges and was sentenced to 16 to 35 years in prison in December 2017.
After Nessel took over the case, her office announced Galloway would be charged with Danielle's murder. Over the course of the investigation, it was discovered that several dozen search warrants had been executed at various places connected to Galloway in connection with this case.
Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus said the department believed Galloway had tried to hide evidence along the way.
A preliminary hearing for Galloway was held in September 2019, which featured 15 witnesses and dozens of pieces of evidence. A judge eventually ruled that probable cause was evident and ordered Galloway to trial. The latest date for trial was scheduled for July 11, but that date has past.