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Maui Police: Santa Cruz Lawyer Tried To Escape Boyfriend - Local News - Sacramento, CA on Astini News

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Wearing only a bathing suit, Celestial Cassman ran up to a random car on a Maui highway and begged the driver for help.

A man grabbed the Santa Cruz attorney from behind and dragged her away, telling the driver, "Everything is fine."

A 50-page police investigation report, obtained by KITV Honolulu Wednesday night, describes what police said happened on Sept. 1, when a Santa Cruz woman vacationing on the tranquil Hawaiian island was found dead.

PHOTOS: Santa Cruz Attorney Slain In Maui

Police said her boyfriend, Gerald Galaway Jr., 38, of Santa Cruz, is the prime suspect. However he was still in the hospital Thursday morning, seven days after he jumped off a cliff, and has not been charged. Maui District Attorney John Kim said he plans to charge Galaway with second-degree murder and kidnapping.

Cassman was a highly respected deputy attorney for the cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola. The lawyer and her boyfriend arrived in Maui on Aug. 31 and shared a room at a Kaanapali hotel.

According to the police report, local resident Janet Brockman was driving home on Kahekili Highway near Nakalele Point when she saw Cassman and Galaway arguing on the side of the highway next to their rented sport utility vehicle. It was 6:27 p.m.

Cassman ran up to Brockman screaming, "Help!"

Galaway caught up to Cassman, put her in a choke hold and dragged her away as she desperately tried to fight him off, according to the report. The 35-year-old threw her rental car keys at Brockman.

"(Galaway) then began lifting (Cassman) up and slamming her body on the asphalt roadway," the report wrote.

After throwing his girlfriend against the asphalt, Galaway dragged her across volcanic rocks towards a cliff, police said.

Brockman said she yelled at him to stop.

The man replied, "We are OK, everything is fine," and ordered Brockman to leave, the report wrote.

Brockman was afraid of the irate 6-foot, 3-inch tall muscular man, so she left the screaming struggling woman to find help, police said.

She called 911 and when officers arrived at 6:42 p.m., they found Galaway naked from the waist down, wearing only a blue T-shirt, the report stated.

Police said the Santa Cruz man ran and flung himself over a cliff, landing in rough ocean surf 100 feet below.

"I came to the cliff's edge and observed Galaway floating on his back and treading water as he looked up at me," one officer said. "Galaway continued to swim in and out of the sea caves below in an attempt to hide."

Meanwhile, investigators searched for Cassman among the black volcanic rocks. At 7:30 p.m., they found a woman lying under a tree and checked for a pulse. There was none.

Galaway spent the night naked, clutching to the black volcanic cliff and treading water after emergency workers suspended their rescue effort. Friday morning, officers flying in a helicopter scooped him out of the ocean and transported him to Maui Memorial Medical Center.

The Santa Cruz boyfriend and girlfriend were both born in Hawaii.

Galaway worked with disabled children at Easter Seals Central California on Soquel Drive in Aptos. His employer said Galaway's background check conducted four months ago was clean, and he never showed signs of hostility or anger toward children.

Galaway's neighbors in the Beach Flats area of Santa Cruz said in the past they heard him yelling at Cassman inside the home.

Cassman lived in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz. In addition to working for the law firm Atchison, Barisone, Condotti & Kovacevich, she volunteered for CASA of Santa Cruz County.

The University of California at Santa Cruz graduate's favorite pastimes were going to the beach, surfing, yoga, cooking and wine tasting, according to her profile.

PHOTOS: Santa Cruz Attorney Slain In Maui

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