REOPENED: Til Death Do Us Part

Summary

Cold Case Files — "REOPENED: Til Death Do Us Part"

Podcast: Cold Case Files
Host/Narrator: Marisa Pinson
Date: May 14, 2026
Episode Theme:
A decades-old murder in suburban Illinois is finally solved due to the relentless drive of a grieving family, persistent investigators, and advances in forensic DNA technology. This episode follows the case of Cheryl Lynn Hall, the anguish of her loved ones, and the dogged pursuit of justice — even when justice falls short.

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Episode Overview

This episode tells the story of 20-year-old Cheryl Lynn Hall, murdered in her Aurora, Illinois home in 1981. Decades pass, with her husband under suspicion, a prime suspect evading authorities, and a family refusing to let her memory fade. The case is ultimately solved through DNA evidence, leading to an arrest and conviction—but a resolution that feels incomplete for Cheryl's family.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cheryl and Chuck: A Love Story Ended Too Soon

• Cheryl and Chuck Hall were high school sweethearts, marrying just weeks after graduation.
• Cheryl, described as kind, gentle, and family-oriented, looked forward to starting a family.
• “[Cheryl] just loved her so much. They just had a happy marriage.” — Cheryl’s mother, Garnett (01:29)
• Cheryl had recently shared the news that she was expecting, deepening the tragedy for her loved ones.

The Crime (5:15–12:18)

• On September 9, 1981, Cheryl was found murdered in her home by her husband.
• She was discovered upstairs, strangled with an iron cord.
• Signs of struggle were evident: abrasions on her hands, knees, torso, and a bloodstain beneath her fingernail (11:28).
• Investigators pinpoint the likely time of death between 3:00 and 6:00 pm.

Memorable Family Reflections:

• “She didn’t get to live her life. I miss everything about her.” — Garnett, Cheryl’s mother (01:29)
• “She was just perfect… She made me proud to be a mom.” — Garnett (07:17)
• "We were really close...She was so sweet." — Lisa, Cheryl’s sister (07:44)

The Investigation and First Suspicions (09:02–20:44)

• As is standard, Chuck, Cheryl’s husband, is initially the main suspect, being the last to see her and the one who found her.
• Family always maintained Chuck’s innocence, which is confirmed via his alibi.
• Police consider local burglaries but find nothing missing; the scene suggests a crime of passion or personal connection.

Prime Suspect: Larry Galloway

• Larry Galloway, a former coworker of Chuck and an acquaintance from high school, had visited Cheryl alone two weeks before her murder.
• Cheryl had felt “really bad vibes from him” after the visit (18:40).
• He is questioned but provides an alibi, placing himself with his parents. However, he refuses a polygraph (22:27).
• “If he had not done it, he would have said, I didn’t do it or I’m sorry what happened to her. He never said anything. It was just: 'Bring it on.'” — Garnett on confronting Galloway (24:26–25:19)

The Cold Case Era (23:04–32:08)

• The case goes cold for over a decade, despite Cheryl’s family pressing the police for updates.
• In 1997, a renewed push from journalist Denise Crosby leads to police taking another look at Galloway’s alibi.
• Galloway continues to refuse DNA testing and legal attempts to compel a sample are blocked.

Family’s Determination

• "We would go down to the police station like once a month. ...It was eating at me every day that went by." — Garnett (24:26)
• “They never let the police department forget Cheryl Lynn’s name.” — Denise Crosby (23:39)

Breakthrough: Modern Forensics and Surveillance (31:14–33:20)

• In 2007, Detective Matt Thomas reopens the case; DNA technology now holds new promise.
• Investigators conduct a covert operation, obtaining Galloway’s DNA from a discarded straw at a restaurant. (33:07)
• The DNA matches that of the killer: “It’s the break they have all been waiting for.” (33:20)

Family’s Relief

• "We got him. I could not believe it. I said, finally." — Lisa, Cheryl’s sister (34:16)
• "That was the first time I had seen the light in my brother’s eyes." — Jackie, Chuck’s sister (34:36)

Justice: Elusive and Incomplete (35:04–40:14)

• Despite the DNA evidence, the case against Galloway is risky: the original evidence technician and investigator are deceased, and key evidence is depleted.
• A plea deal is reached: Galloway pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2012 and receives a 10-year sentence.
• He is released after less than five years on a program for prison overcrowding, with credit for good behavior, shocking the family.
  • "There is no justice. There was no justice for my sister." — Lisa (39:01)
  • “Mr. Galloway was released without any input from either Cheryl Lynn Hall's family or my office. It was difficult for them to accept. It’s difficult for me to accept.” — State’s Attorney Joe McMahon (40:00)

Aftermath: Grief and Legacy (40:14–42:41)

• Chuck, Cheryl’s husband, dies of cancer in 2016, but with his name cleared.
  • "My brother got to die knowing that the world knew he was not a murderer. And that brought peace to him and to me." — Jackie (41:53)
• The family never truly heals. Cheryl is visited weekly with her favorite yellow roses.
  • “The world lost a beautiful soul when they lost Cheryl.” — Jackie (42:15)
  • “Sherry made me happier than anything. There’s a part of me I can never get back because she’s not there.” — Garnett (42:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cheryl’s Sister Lisa (on Cheryl’s nervousness after Galloway’s visit)
  “She said that he just made her really nervous. She’s just got really bad vibes from him.” (18:40)

• Garnett, Cheryl's Mother (on confronting Galloway)
  “I called Larry and I said to him, ‘Larry? … you’re going to get what’s coming to you one day.’ And he said, ‘Bring it on.’ And hung up.” (24:26–25:19)

• Denise Crosby, Journalist (on family’s persistence)
  “They never let the police department forget Sherrilyn’s name.” (23:39)

• Detective Matt Thomas (on reopening the case)
  “In my mind, there’s only one person that knows what happened, and that person is Larry.” (31:24)

• Jackie (on Chuck’s torment)
  “He had promised her family that he was going to take care of her. And then this terrible thing happens, and he felt like he didn’t protect her. He didn’t know who he was anymore without her.” (20:44)

• Jackie (remembering loss and love)
  “The world lost a beautiful soul when they lost Cheryl.” (42:15)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:29–08:53: Cheryl and Chuck’s story, family reflections, discovery of the murder
• 09:02–12:01: Investigators focus on Chuck, crime scene evidence, autopsy findings
• 18:01–22:27: Investigation shifts to Larry Galloway; refusal of polygraph
• 24:26–25:19: Garnett confronts Galloway by phone
• 26:20–27:15: Turn to the media for help, public interest renewed
• 31:14–33:20: Modern investigators reopen the case, collect Galloway’s DNA via restaurant straw
• 34:16–34:49: Family’s reaction to arrest news
• 36:20–37:03: Plea deal and emotional consequences for the family
• 38:31–40:14: Galloway released early, family and prosecutor express frustration
• 41:53–42:41: Remembering Cheryl; her family’s enduring love and sorrow

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Episode Takeaways

• “One-third of all murders in America remain open. Only 1% of cold cases are ever solved.” (02:07)
• Justice, even when achieved in the letter of the law, may still fall painfully short for survivors.
• The persistence of Cheryl’s family—especially her mother, Garnett—served as a driving force in keeping the case alive.
• Advances in forensic science and persistent investigative work can break even the coldest of cases—yet closure is both a legal and deeply personal journey.
• The episode is a tribute to Cheryl Hall’s memory, her family’s love, and the resilience required to pursue justice for victims who cannot speak for themselves.

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Transcript

[A]

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[C]

Sharing Chuck's love story it was like something I had never seen. He just loved her so much. They just had a happy marriage. Two weeks before she was killed, she told me she was going to make me a grandma. She never got to have the grandbabies. She didn't get to live her life. I miss everything about her. As a mother. I felt like I should have known something. Something should have clicked somewhere. I felt like I let her down. If I would have known, I would have been there most definitely. I told Sherry I was gonna find out who did this to her. And that I would never give up Until I did.

[A]

There are 120,000 unsolved murders in America. Each one is a cold case. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. There's an autumn chill in the air in aurora, Illinois on September 9, 1981. It's Wednesday and 20 year old Cheryl Lynn hall is at home in the house she shares with her husband of two years, Chuck. As she does every week on her day off, Cheryl begins cleaning the house, doing the laundry and preparing meals for the rest of the week. The high school sweethearts live in a townhouse in a quiet neighborhood of the Chicago suburb. Chuck's sister Jackie and Cheryl's mother Garnett recall the young couple's love story.

[E]

Chuck and Cheryl met through a mutual friend and just hit it off right away. They were just made for each other.

[C]

I think it's the first time she fell in love. I mean, she had other boyfriends, but she knew Chuck was the one. All she wanted to do was get married and start a family.

[A]

Just a few weeks after graduating high school, Cheryl and Chuck tied the knot.

[E]

October 6, 1979, Chuck and Cheryl were married. I was the flower girl. I got to wear the pretty dress. My brother, I had never seen him happier. Cheryl Lynn was absolutely beautiful. She was like a princess. She never stopped smiling the whole day.

[A]

Cheryl is close to her sister Lisa, and she can't wait for her life with Chuck begin.

[F]

She was excited about the new chapter in her life. Being married, getting a new home, planning for children. As long as I can remember, that's what was important to her. Having a family, having her own children, and living a happy life.

[A]

Cheryl and Chuck settle into their new home in the quiet neighborhood where young children play happily on the street and they look forward to one day having their own kids.

[F]

Their condo was super, super nice. They would have friends over a lot. We started hanging out more together. Her favorite group was the Eagles. So we would always listen to music and just, you know, have some time together.

[A]

By September 9, 1981, the couple has settled into a routine. Chuck comes home from work on his lunch break to eat with Cheryl. And when he leaves to finish his shift, Cheryl talks to her sister Lisa on the phone for a while. On this day, Chuck arrives home after work at 6pm there's no sign of Cheryl and there's laundry knocked over in the hallway. He calls out for his wife, but she doesn't answer. Chuck runs up the stairs in search of Cheryl.

[E]

As he got to the top of the stairs, he saw her hanging from the doorknob with an iron cord around her neck. He attempted to do CPR on her and then he ran downstairs and he ran to the neighbor's house. The neighbor was a nurse and they called an ambulance or the police. He continued to do CPR on her until the paramedics arrived.

[A]

Officers from the Aurora Police Department are dead. Dispatched to the scene, Deputy Chief Matt Thomas describes what they were faced with.

[G]

After the call is received, the officers and medics arrive on scene. They check the upstairs bedroom and locate Cheryl Hull. It looked to be a very brutal murder. The cord was still wrapped around her neck. The other portion of the cord was wrapped around the door knob.

[A]

There are Strangulation marks around Cheryl's neck. And there's nothing paramedics can do. She's pronounced dead at the scene. Chuck's world crumbles around him. He's the one to break the news to Cheryl's family. That night,

[C]

about 8 o', clock, the doorbell rang. Over and over and over and over. So I go to the door and Chuck's standing there. And the look on his face was something I had never seen before. And I said, what's wrong? And he said, it's Cheryl. She's dead. And I said, what? He said, she's dead. Somebody killed her. I don't remember a whole lot after that happened.

[F]

I was only 16 at the time. Chuck and my mom came to my dad's house and told me that something happened to Sherri. My mom just hugged me and said, it's Sherry. She's gone. We were just so in shock.

[C]

Cheryl was my daughter, my firstborn. I called her Sherry. From the time she was born, she was always a mama's girl. She wanted to be with me all the time. I. I will never forget the dress she had on her first day of school. She looked adorable. And then when I left her, she started crying. She wanted to come back with me. She was just perfect. She made me proud to be a mom. And then when Lisa came along, she was just the best sister ever.

[F]

We were about four years apart. We always got along. Even though there was a big age gap. She would play Barbies with me. We were really close. She was so sweet. I don't really think there was a mean bone in her body.

[A]

When Cheryl married Chuck, she became close to his younger sister, Jackie, too.

[E]

Cheryl was very much like an older sister to me. She always made time for me. She never treated me just like a little kid.

[A]

Even though she was living her own life, Cheryl made sure she still spent one day a week with her mom and sister.

[F]

Every weekend, the three of us, Sherry, myself and my mom, would go shopping and spend the entire day together. It was the highlight of our week.

[C]

The week before Sherry was killed, the three of us went shopping and she bought all of these new clothes for her job. And she was so excited. That was the last time we got to go shopping. A week before it happened. I mean, we were so close, the three of us. Now we're not three anymore.

[A]

After Cheryl is found dead in her home in September 1981, the Aurora Police investigators begin trying to narrow down the suspect list.

[G]

Chuck was the one of the last ones to see Cheryl alive. So he was One that we wanted to speak to. You have to look at the husband first because he's the closest one. And that. That's tough because they're grieving at the loss of a loved one. So you have to use, you know, a lot of compassion, letting them know that we're just doing our job.

[A]

Family members live under a cloud of suspicion, something that is the cruel reality in many murder investigations. Until someone is charged, no one can be completely excluded. Chicago Tribune columnist Denise Crosby explains, not

[D]

only was Chocolate's spouse, he was also the last person to see her alive, and he was the one who found her body. So he fit all three criteria of what would make the number one suspect.

[A]

Chuck is questioned for hours after his wife's murder. But Cheryl's family never doubt his love for her.

[C]

It never crossed my mind that Chuck ever hurt her. Never crossed my mind even, you know, though they interviewed him for a long time, I never suspected that Chuck ever hurt her.

[F]

I had people ask me, what do you think? And without a doubt, I knew that Chuck had nothing to do with it. He loved her. He would never have hurt her.

[A]

Investigators are able to confirm Chuck was at work at the time the murder occurred. And once he's ruled out, they begin to scour the crime scene for clues. Crime scene technicians look for evidence of latent prints on door handles, Cheryl's purse, and other items that are at the scene. A lot of the prints are smeared or smudged, so they're unusable, but hair fibers and trace evidence are collected. While Cheryl's family grieved the immeasurable loss, investigators asked them to assist in piecing together a timeline of the hours leading up to Cheryl's murder.

[G]

Her sister said that she last spoke with Cheryl at 3:00pm that day on the phone. And then at 3:30, neighbors of the adjacent apartment heard a door slam. And then they heard several loud thuds. And then at 6pm is when Chuck gets home and finds her. So the timeline was basically 3pm to 6 that we were looking at.

[A]

Cheryl's body is brought for an autopsy, and the pathologist discovers abrasions on her hands, knees and torso, indicating she struggled and fought desperately against her attacker. During the autopsy, fingernail clippings are taken and scraped to determine if Cheryl's killer's DNA could be found on a bloodstain beneath her nail. It seems like a crime of opportunity. The murder weapon is something that was close by, and the strangulation was brutal.

[D]

Cheryl was such a tiny little thing fighting for her life. She had to have fought so hard. She did not go down easily, but she had to have gone down in sheer terror.

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[A]

Still reeling from the horrific murder, Cheryl's family and friends gather to say goodbye.

[F]

We needed to get something special for her to be buried in. It had to be something that covered her neck. So I went to the mall and I found a really pretty light blue turtleneck for her to wear. I was only 16, and it was really. That was a hard thing to do.

[C]

I remember seeing her laying there. Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed I would be looking at her like that. And I made it through somehow. I don't even know how I made it. I held her hand and just told her how much I loved her and how much I miss her.

[E]

Chuck just stood at the casket for hours and hours. I remember him trying to take her out of the casket. He didn't want to leave without her. And I was rushed away quickly after that.

[A]

Former Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon recalls the impact the murder had on the Aurora community.

[H]

This looked like a very brutal, randomized act of violence. And if it happened to Cheryl in her home, I think there was a real fear that this crime could be repeated or a similar crime could occur again somewhere else in that community.

[A]

Detectives look for a potential connection between Cheryl's murder and a string of burglaries in her neighborhood.

[H]

Part of their initial investigation was to determine whether somebody had encountered Cheryl Lynn at home when they were attempting to burglarize her home.

[A]

Cheryl and Chuck recently installed a deadbolt on their door, and it's found to be intact. Nothing within the home is disturbed and nothing of value is missing.

[G]

This did not appear to be a burglary. This appeared to be a very personal crime. Murder committed by strangulation is a very intimate crime. It's one where high emotions factor into that killing. So it was clear that it was someone that Cheryl possibly either knew or had some level of trust with to allow them into the residence.

[A]

Two days into the investigation, Detectives find out about a recent visitor to Cheryl and Chuck's home. Two weeks before her murder, Cheryl was home alone when there was a knock at the door. It was Larry Galloway, a. A man who worked at the same cable company as Chuck. Larry had known Cheryl since high school, and he and his wife would socialize with Cheryl and Chuck.

[D]

They kind of became casual friends. I think she always thought of him as a little bit odd.

[A]

The unexpected visit lasts for around 20 minutes, and it makes Cheryl uncomfortable enough for her to tell her friends about it.

[F]

She said that he just made her really nervous. She's just got really bad vibes from him.

[A]

Twelve days after Cheryl's murder, Larry Galloway is brought in to police headquarters.

[H]

Mr. Galloway answered questions about his whereabouts, his relationship with Cheryl Lynn hall and her husband, his whereabouts on the day of Sherrilyn's murder.

[G]

He advised them that he was not involved. He had no knowledge of her murder. Between the hours of the murder, he was at his parents home mowing the grass.

[A]

Larry Galloway establishes an alibi, and he explains to the police the reasons why he had visited Cheryl's home before the murder. He wanted to talk to Chuck about some union business. As Chuck was a union steward, Larry

[E]

Galloway had been fired from his position at the cable company. And my brother was able to save his job through the union. There was another time that my brother was unable to save Larry's job. And so I think that they may have been looking at him early on for that aspect. You know, was he holding a grudge?

[H]

Larry Galloway was questioned by law enforcement, never excluded, but never able to really collect sufficient evidence to bring charges.

[D]

They weren't able to get any more information from Galloway, and there were no other leads for them to follow. The cops really had no choice but to move on.

[A]

With no leads and no suspect, the cloud of suspicion and grief that hangs over Chuck hall darkens day by day.

[E]

There were still people out there who truly thought that my brother had committed this crime.

[D]

Chuck, more than anyone, his life was impacted by the most by the murder of his wife. The fact that people looked at him as a suspect was almost as crushing to him as losing his bride.

[E]

He had promised her family that he was going to take care of her. And then this terrible thing happens, and he felt like he didn't protect her. He didn't keep his promise. He didn't know who he was anymore without her.

[A]

As Chuck struggles with losing Cheryl, investigators look for connections between Cheryl's murder and a killing that happened nine months earlier. Susan Jebzinski was murdered in her home close to Aurora, in a similar way

[D]

to Cheryl, there was such rage in whoever murdered her. And I think that same rage was absolutely displayed with Cheryl Lynn as well. Two young women, very similar in age, very similar in lifestyle, are murdered in a very similar fashion just a few miles apart. Of course, that's going to give the impression of something really bad going on, like a serial murder. That was probably a pretty scary time for people in this area to have this going on.

[A]

Five weeks have passed since Cheryl's death, and investigators are unable to draw a definitive connection between the murders. So with no new suspects, they take another look at the people they have already spoken to.

[G]

Initially, the investigator spoke with Larry Galloway, and he gave his alibi and said he had no knowledge of the murder. Again, his name kept coming up as someone that could have possibly been involved. There were several people that were asked to check, take polygraph tests, including her husband, Chuck hall, and all of them agreed, and Larry was the only one that did not.

[A]

Larry Galloway refuses to cooperate with the investigation. Moving forward, the investigation has come to terms with understanding that refusing a polygraph is not an admission of guilt. It is a constitutional right. Detectives continue to work every angle, but the case stalls.

[C]

They interviewed everybody at the bank, all the neighbors around her, her friend that lived next door, they interviewed her as well.

[A]

With Sherrill's husband effectively ruled out as a suspect, and with Larry Galloway's refusal to cooperate, the case goes cold. By the one year anniversary of Cheryl's

[E]

death, there was one officer that actually told my brother, unless somebody comes in, we will probably never know who did this. That was very hard for my brother to hear.

[F]

The first anniversary after she was taken from us, it was really hard. So many emotions, sad, anger that, you know, this person is out there just living their life. Her life was taken away.

[H]

There was very little investigative activity, and I can imagine that was incredibly painful for the hall family and for the community.

[D]

There began to be doubt that this case was going to be solved. But I felt connected to the family, and every time I saw them, I just saw their pain fresh again and their frustration and their unwillingness to give up. Garnett and her family. They never let the police department forget Sherrilyn's name. They were like, please don't forget Sherilyn. We know her murder can be solved.

[A]

Cheryl's mother, Garnett, won't give up on finding justice for her eldest daughter. And she pleads with the investigators to solve the case. But she has her own mother's intuition about who is responsible.

[C]

We would go down to the police station like once a month. Have you made any progress? You know what's going on with with this? They would talk to us about what they had done, but it wasn't going anywhere. It was eating at me every day that went by. So I called Larry and I said to him, larry? And he said, yes. I said, you're going to get what's coming to you one day. And he said, bring it on, and hung up. It was like an explosion inside of me. He just didn't seem to care when and that just broke my heart. I did feel like Larry Galloway had done that at that point because if he had not done it, he would have said, I didn't do it or I'm sorry what happened to her. He never said anything. It was just bring it on.

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[A]

It's 1997 now and 16 years have passed. Cheryl's family turns to the media in a desperate attempt to keep the case alive. They reach out to Denise Crosby at the Chicago Tribune.

[D]

I have been a columnist for the Tribune Newspapers for close to three decades. That phone call came in from the family saying, hey, we want to talk to you about our daughter's case. Her death left such a hole in the fabric of that family.

[F]

We felt like we were kind of backed in a corner until we met Denise and she just took it from there. She was our voice.

[A]

The article Denise Crosby writes gives Cheryl's family a ray of hope and the public interest it generated prompts the police to take a fresh look at the cold case.

[H]

In 1997 new investigator looked at the case. Start to finish all the evidence that was collected back in 1981 to identify whether there was something that was overlooked by the original investigators.

[A]

The investigators focused their attention on Larry Galloway.

[G]

The investigators start reinterviewing witnesses. Some give information that discredits his alibi. Some of the witnesses feel Larry would be capable of committing a violent crime like this. He had made comments that he could kill someone and it wouldn't bother him. At the time, they felt like they had enough probable cause to get his DNA standards to compare them to some of the trace evidence and the suspected blood stain under her fingernails.

[A]

The DNA analysis was steadily evolving in 1997. But even all these years later, Galloway still refuses to cooperate in this investigation and will not give the police a DNA sample.

[E]

He says he didn't do it. So if you didn't do it, give up the hair, give a blood sample, take a polygraph. That's all we needed. And he just absolutely refused.

[A]

Prosecutors take the case to a grand jury, which issues a subpoena ordering Galloway to provide a DNA sample. His lawyers appeal the order, and a judge rules that there is insufficient evidence to force him to provide a DNA sample. It's incredibly frustrating for Cheryl's mother and loved ones.

[C]

He got away with not giving his DNA. I was thinking, if I could just get my hands on you.

[E]

Our hopes were once again just absolutely shattered. There was nowhere else for it to go. Without this DNA to either prove that he did or didn't do it.

[A]

After 16 years of waiting for something to happen, the case goes cold once more. It's impossible for Cheryl's loved ones to live peacefully within the community when the prime suspect in her murder continues to live there.

[D]

Larry becomes active with the school, becomes active with his church, becomes active with Boy Scouts, people like this guy. That certainly wasn't how Cheryl's family felt about Larry. There was just so much pain. Grief is one thing, but grief without justice, the hole gets bigger and the bitterness gets more intense. And I think that's what was happening with this family. Chuck was dealing with guilt and grief and anger. Lots of really deep anger

[E]

took, I believe, wholeheartedly suffered from people. He would just start crying for no reason. It could be the smallest thing, and it would just bring a flashback of him finding her body.

[A]

Chuck is haunted by the thought of people suspecting him as being his wife's killer. He tries to move on with his life and remarries. Chuck and his second wife have two little boys together, and he loves them with all of his heart. But the trauma of Cheryl's death plagues him.

[D]

He was just battling so many demons, and I know his wife was frustrated because she felt like she was competing with a ghost. He would visit her grave so often, and I think it really, it obviously it hurt the marriage and they ended up breaking up. And his life of loneliness just continued.

[A]

Another decade goes by, and in 2007, 26 years after Cheryl's murder, Aurora police Detective Matt Thomas joins the investigation.

[G]

I had 10 years of law enforcement experience when I began looking into Cheryl Hall's murder case. As I'm going through the case file, I was going to let the investigation and the facts steer me, and it pointed me in the direction of Larry Galloway. In my mind, there's only one person that knows what happened, and that person is Larry.

[A]

The case is reopened, and Cheryl's mother is confident that they will finally get justice for Cheryl.

[C]

I was more determined then than ever that you will pay for this somehow you will pay for this, and I'm not giving up until you do.

[A]

DNA science has dramatically advanced in the 26 years since Cheryl was killed, and detectives are eager to test Galloway's DNA. But they'll have to get it first.

[G]

I felt our only option was to set up a surveillance detail, and so I met with the state's attorney and allowed, let them know kind of what our plans were.

[H]

We tried to identify a way to creatively collect evidence from Mr. Galloway that would exclude him or really solidify him as a suspect.

[A]

A surveillance operation begins at Larry Galloway's residence, and after two and a half hours of waiting, the investigators see him leave the house with another man. They follow Galloway to a Chili's restaurant and maintain a visual on him while he's eating his meal. As soon as Galloway left the restaurant, the investigators collect his straw utensils and napkin from the table.

[H]

Mr. Galloway left this evidence for anybody to collect. Once it was there in the public, we could go preserve it and then submit it for analysis.

[A]

Forensic specialists test the straw Galloway used and discover a match to the DNA found in the bloodstain collected from Cheryl's nails. It's the break they have all been waiting for. With the DNA match, A judge grants an arrest warrant for Larry Galloway on July 31, 2008. At this point, Galloway is working as a train conductor in Charlotte, Chicago. So the investigators wait at the train station. When Galloway arrives on the platform, the officers advise him that he is under arrest for murder. Galloway is expressionless and compliant as he is handcuffed and taken to the station for questioning. The arrest is welcome news for Cheryl's family.

[F]

12:30 at night, the doorbell rang. And when I got to it, I saw the detectives with these huge smiles on their faces. And they said, we got him. I could not believe it. I said, finally.

[C]

I was so happy. I thought, okay, now maybe he's going to pay for what he did.

[E]

That was the first time I had seen the light in my brother's eyes. I got to witness him with Lisa and Garnet, and they were just hugging each other, and they're like, we did it. We finally did it.

[F]

We had gone to the police department, and he was handcuffed, and it was the best thing I've ever seen.

[C]

I didn't know where it was going to go from there. All I knew is they had him.

[A]

The DNA evidence is just one. One piece of the puzzle. The investigators need more in order to secure a conviction, and they hope an interview with Galloway will provide what they need. Galloway denies any involvement to the murder, despite the DNA linking him to the crime. And although he has no reaction to the arrest, the community is stunned.

[C]

Everybody really thought he was just such a good person. It. It made me sick. He had everybody fooled. The people on the train stood by him. Even after all this happened, all the

[F]

people that rode the train with him thought he couldn't have done that. He's a nice guy, but no, he's a monster.

[A]

Prosecutors prepare for trial and quickly realize that their case is far from airtight. The volume of DNA recovered has been wounded, wiped out by testing, and the original investigator and evidence technician passes away as the trial approaches. In a case that is built on DNA, any inconsistency is a major concern. With a possible acquittal looming, the prosecutors decide to offer Galloway a deal.

[H]

We made a decision to resolve the case by way of a plea agreement to hold him as accountable as I believe that we could based on the evidence.

[C]

We took the plea deal because we're not gamblers. Justice for Sherry was definitely not worth gambling because it'd been too many years and she deserved justice of some sort. So we were not willing to take that chance.

[E]

My brother had a lot of emotions going on. Anger, sad, happy, relieved. Something was better than nothing. A jury trial could have gone the other way, and I don't think anybody in the family would have done well with that.

[A]

Cheryl's family looks on as Larry Galloway pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in April 2012. As part of his plea agreement, Galloway must admit that he murdered Cheryl Hall. But he doesn't have to say why he killed the young woman.

[G]

There were several theories about what happened. The fact that Larry lost his job and Chuck was a union steward. I don't know if there was any hard feelings there.

[F]

I have had thoughts myself that Larry Galloway was interested in her. He might have made a pass and it went very wrong.

[C]

Why would you do that to her? Why would you harm her? If I could just know why, then I think maybe I could live with it a little better. But I don't even know why he did.

[E]

What happened that day. Was it intentional? Was it an accident? We don't know. But a light definitely went out the day that he took Cheryl's life.

[A]

The judge hands Galloway a 10 year prison term. But under 1981 laws, he will only have to serve half of his sentence. The unanswered questions and lenient prison sentence are hard to come to terms with for Cheryl's family. Just three and a half years into Galloway's sentence, they are dealt another blow.

[C]

We got a call saying that Larry Galloway was out of jail. And I'm thinking, how could he be out of jail? He hasn't even served his five years.

[F]

It was shock, absolutely shock. Especially that time of year. We didn't have her to celebrate Christmas with. And then to know that he got out right before Christmas to what, spend it with his family, that was tough. At that time, I really didn't understand, okay, 10 years, but he's only going to serve half of it.

[C]

Why?

[F]

I still don't understand it. I don't understand it. How some people can be put in jail for the rest of their lives just like that. But how, how was it that it was five years and then he didn't even serve that There is no justice. There was no justice for my sister. He's still the monster he was and they let him out in less than five years. I don't understand it. And I'm sure it's probably a letdown to the detectives for all the hard work they went through to get him. And that's all he served. It's not justice.

[A]

Galloway is released in December 2015, a year and a half early, under a program to ease prison overcrowding. He also has credit for good behavior behind bars. Galloway's release is a source of frustration for the State's Attorney, Joe McMahon.

[H]

Mr. Galloway was released without any input from either Sherilyn Hall's family or my office. It was difficult for them to accept. It's difficult for me to accept.

[A]

Just a few months later, the family faces another heartbreak. Cheryl's widower, Chuck hall, succumbs to the lung cancer he had been battling for years.

[E]

Chuck passed away on April 12th of 2016. Larry Galloway had already had almost five months of freedom at that point. He had surgery, but the surgeon came out and told me that the cancer had spread and they really had just closed him back up at that point. He did do chemo and radiation. Chuck caught some type of infection and his body just couldn't fight it off. The chemo, it just took everything from him. But we had had a conversation, and he knew that he was gonna be with Cheryl again. That did absolutely bring him comfort. He didn't wanna leave. He didn't wanna leave his grandkids. He didn't wanna leave his kids. But he also knew that he was gonna be with Cheryl again. And that made it less frightening for him. We were all there when he passed. Lisa, Cheryl's sister, Garnett, myself, Chuck's other siblings were also there. And it was very peaceful. We knew where he was going to go and who he was going to be with. So it made it a little bit easier. My brother got to die knowing that the world knew that he was not a murderer. And that brought peace to him and to me. And losing my brother was very hard. But he was gonna be with his wife, with the love of his life.

[A]

Life was never the same for Cheryl's loved ones after her horrific murder in 1981. But they kept her in their hearts and in the eye of the public for years until her killer was found, finally caught.

[C]

After it happened, I went to her grave every week and I took flowers. And we still do that. We'll never stop going there.

[E]

Cheryl Lynn's favorite flower were yellow roses. I still go and get her a bouquet of yellow roses, and I take them out to the cemetery. The world lost a beautiful soul when they lost Cheryl.

[F]

I miss Sherry dearly. I'm constantly thinking about what we would be doing just having a sister to talk to. I don't have her anymore. I don't have that. And it's just not fair.

[C]

Sherry made me happier than anything has ever made me. There's a part of me that I can never get back because she's not there.

[A]

Cold Case Files is hosted by Paula Barros. It's produced by the Law and Crime Network and written by Eileen McFarlane and Emily G. Thompson. Our composer is Blake Maples for A and E. Our senior producer is John Thrasher, and our supervising producer is McKamey Lin. Our executive producers are Jesse Katz, Maite Cueva and Peter Tarshis. This podcast is based on AE's Emmy winning TV series Cold Case Files. For more Cold case files, visit aetv.com.

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