The Dateline episode “The Other Side of Paradise” investigates the 2006 murder of Sandra “Sandy G” Mendonca Galas on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. On January 25, 2006, Sandy G was found strangled to death in her car, in the garage of her home. The mother of two sons (ages 5 and 3) was 27. She and her estranged husband, Darren Galas, were going through a divorce and a custody battle over the children. It took the persistence of Sandra’s father, Larry Mendonca, to see that Darren Galas was charged.
Twelve years after Sandra’s murder, in January 2018, Darren Galas (who had raised his two sons after Sandra’s death) pleaded no contest on the reduced charge of assault in the first degree in the death of his wife. (He was originally charged with one count of murder in the second degree.) In May 2018, Galas received the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the crime. His sons were in court, showing him their support.
Once Galas is released from prison, he must pay more than $9400 in restitution and $4000 in funeral costs for Sandra G. After the sentencing, Larry Mendonca told the media he hopes his grandsons will eventually start talking to him. “We hold a special place in our hearts for them. They’re the only ones right now who have suffered a big loss,” he said. Dateline airs Fridays at 10pm on NBC.
