‘I want justice before I go’: Murder victim’s cancer-stricken mom frustrated by accused killer’s trial delays
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa mother’s search for justice in her son’s murder has taken a new sense of urgency as she fights cancer for the third time.
Pam Williams’ son, Jason Galehouse, was murdered 19 years ago and she says her son's accused killer Steven Lorenzo has been playing games and delaying his trial.
"I'm sick and tired of it and I don't think they give a damn about this case at all," she said in frustration.
Prosecutors charged Lorenzo with two counts of first-degree murder in the 2003 killings of Galehouse and Michael Waccholtz. But Lorenzo, who is representing himself, has found a way to delay his trial over and over again.
A trial date was set for this month, but Lorenzo complained he needed more time to prepare and review evidence he was recently handed. He got his wish and his trial was moved to next January.
"I'm just totally fed up with the justice system I'm sorry," said Williams.
Pictured: Pam Williams, Jason Galehouse's mother
Making matters worse, the two-time cancer survivor says her cancer has returned and she's running out of time.
"I'm getting my own death sentence right now, let alone me waiting on his as my cancer has gone into my bones now," she explained.
Family friend, Tyler Butler, has been by her side through all of it.
"We're looking at 20 years waiting for justice on a case. Why?" questioned Butler.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Steven Lorenzo plea deal rejected, murder trial to proceed
When notorious murder defendant Steven Lorenzo made a last-ditch effort to save his life by offering to plead no contest in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, Hillsborough state attorney Andrew Warren says he didn’t have to think about it long.
Prosecutors say, Lorenzo, along with his co-defendant Scott Schweickert, lured the victims to Lorenzo's Seminole Heights home. They say the gay men were drugged, tortured, used as sex slaves and later murdered. To avoid the death penalty, Schweickert took a plea deal in exchange for life in prison.
Recently, Lorenzo tried unsuccessfully to bargain with prosecutors to drop the death penalty from his case.
Now, Williams fears she won't be around to see justice in her son's case.
Pictured: Jason Galehouse and Michael Waccholtz
"I just want my justice before I go, but it doesn’t look like I'm going to get it. And here he sits in there just laughing away behind the bars getting away with it," Williams stated.
In an email to FOX 13, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren wrote, "We share her frustration. Thirteen years passed before charges were even filed, and since then Lorenzo has used every trick in the book to delay justice. We’re moving forward as quickly as possible to achieve the overdue justice they deserve."