Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
A Chowchilla Woman, Her Murderous Husband, and Failed Gun Control
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 3 years ago on
November 17, 2021

Share

Lea este artículo en español.

Eighteen miles south of the Central Valley home that was her prison, down Highway 99 past almond orchards and trucks overloaded with hay bales, sits the Madera County Superior Court.

The four-story steel structure with its light granite exterior boasts 10 courtrooms, large flat-screen monitors, and a glass-skinned atrium.

Robert Lewis

Robert Lewis

CalMatters

The courthouse opened in 2015 in this county of 160,000, part of a decades-long effort to shift funding and oversight of local courts to the state and ensure equal access to justice for all Californians.

“The Madera Courthouse was designed to demonstrate the transparency and dignity of democracy, providing a place to facilitate the workings of the American ideals of justice,” the architect’s website says.

Calley Garay, a 32-year-old mother of three young boys, came here in June 2020 seeking protection against her abusive husband.

Husband: Restraining Order Is Just a Piece of Paper

Julio Garay warned her that a restraining order was nothing more than a piece of paper and wouldn’t keep him away, court records show.

But the beatings were getting worse, the threats more ominous, and local law enforcement was still investigating her allegations. She needed help.

Julio Garay listens to witness testimony on Sept. 29, 2021, during his murder trial at the Madera County Superior Court. He was found guilty of murdering his wife, Calley Garay. (CalMatters/Larry Valenzuela)

So in June of last year, planning for a new life with her children free from his control, Calley filled out the standard domestic violence restraining order request. Hers was one of 72,000 such forms Californians – mostly women – filed statewide that fiscal year, including 211 in Madera County.

We are now married or registered domestic partners. Check.

We are the parents together of a child or children under 18. Check.

I believe the person…owns or possesses guns, firearms, or ammunition. Check

The answer to that last question on Calley’s form told the court her case could be particularly dangerous.

Research shows the presence of a firearm increases the likelihood domestic violence will turn deadly. It’s why people who are the subject of a restraining order in California – even a temporary one – aren’t allowed to have guns. By law, they are supposed to surrender their weapons to law enforcement or a licensed dealer within 24 hours of being served.

Continue reading at this link.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

DON'T MISS

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

DON'T MISS

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

DON'T MISS

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

DON'T MISS

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

DON'T MISS

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

DON'T MISS

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

DON'T MISS

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

DON'T MISS

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

DON'T MISS

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

UP NEXT

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

UP NEXT

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

UP NEXT

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

UP NEXT

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

UP NEXT

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

UP NEXT

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

UP NEXT

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

11 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

11 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

14 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

16 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

16 hours ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

2 days ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

2 days ago

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

2 days ago

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

2 days ago

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

2 days ago

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

TORONTO — A badly injured child is among eight people who were hurt Monday when a Delta Airlines plane flipped upon arrival at Toronto’s Pea...

8 hours ago

A Delta Air Lines plane heading from Minneapolis to Toronto crashed at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Monday Feb. 17, 2025. (Teresa Barbieri/The Canadian Press via AP)
8 hours ago

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

9 hours ago

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

Team United States fans cheer after their team defeated Canada in a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
11 hours ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, boards Air Force Two at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Harris might have traveled on Friday to Philadelphia or Milwaukee for the umpteenth time, but motivating tuned-out voters in battleground states required something different. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
11 hours ago

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

Downed trees cover the roadway toward South Jefferson Street from severe weather in downtown Tuscumbia, Ala., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.(Dan Busey/The TimesDaily via AP)
11 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

14 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

16 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

16 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend