"I wanted to jump up and down. I've been waiting for 27 years. It's been a long time," said Chuck Hall, the murder victim's husband.
Chuck and Cheryl Lynn Hall had been married for only 20 months when Sherry, as she was known to her family and friends was murdered, on September 9, 1981. It was he who found her, hanging from their bedroom door knob. There were signs of a struggle, but no indication of a break-in. Almost from the start, police suspected Larry Galloway, a casual friend of the couple's. But Galloway would not cooperate with police and numerous attempts throughout the years to obtain Galloway's DNA were unsuccessful.
"She came to my house and they were going to go boating. And she told me she was going to make me a grandmother. But she never got the chance," said Garnet Bailey, Cheryl Lynn Hall's mother.
And so 27 years passed with Galloway still living only miles from the Hall's former apartment. In January of last year, a new detective in charge of the case put Galloway under surveillance. They followed him to a Chili's restaurant in Aurora.
"After he was done with the meal, they went and picked up all the utensils, that's how we got his DNA and that's the DNA that matched items from the original crime scene," said Dan Ferrelli, Aurora Police Department.
Galloway was finally arrested Thursday, at the Ogilvie Transportation Center downtown, where he works as a train conductor.
"I feel better knowing that he's not going to be able to live his life with his family and his kids anymore. He doesn't deserve to," said Lisa Larson, Cheryl Hall's sister.
Galloway's family and attorney have yet to speak publicly about the arrest. He is being held on a $3 million bond. Even now, after so many years and re-interviewing everyone connected with the case, police and Hall's family still cannot pinpoint a motive for the murder.
