FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2018
PRESS RELEASE
Court of Special Appeals Affirms Judgment of Llosvani Galvez
FREDERICK – The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland affirmed the conviction against Llosvani Galvez in an unreported Opinion filed on May 23, 2018.
The Defendant appealed alleging that the trial court erred by allowing the State to introduce evidence of the Defendant’s prior conviction for assaulting the Victim and the fact that the Victim resumed a relationship with the Defendant following that assault. However, the appellate court agreed with the trial court’s determination that the prior crime had special relevance to the issue of consent, as the Defense had argued at trial that the rape allegation was not credible because the Victim briefly again reconciled with the Defendant following the event. Under the facts of the case, as the State argued, the cycle of domestic violence between the parties helped to explain how future reconciliation was not inconsistent with a forcible rape.
On August 25, 2016, a Deputy from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Arrowhead Court in Frederick for a report of a rape. The victim advised that her on and off again boyfriend had repeatedly asked for sex and raped her after being continually told no. The victim was transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital where a sexual assault forensic exam was conducted. Evidence included a recorded phone conversation and text messages in which the defendant apologized to the victim.
Llosvani Galvez, 32, of Temple Hills, Maryland was convicted of Second Degree Rape following a jury trial on February 10, 2017. On May 9, 2017, he was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Theresa Adams to a total of 20 years in the Division of Correction, with all but 12 years suspended. Upon completion of his sentence, the defendant will be placed on 3 years of supervised probation, will be required to register as a lifetime sex offender and will have to serve at least 50% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, as he has been convicted of a crime of violence. The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorney Brett Engler and Chief Assistant State’s Attorney Lindy Angel.
J. Charles Smith, III
State’s Attorney for Frederick County, Maryland