Adam Galli vowed he'd never be caught without a fight. That's exactly what he gave two FBI agents Friday when they tried to ar
rest him in Minnesota.The fugitive of a capital murder charge in Utah, Galli grabbed for the service weapon of one of the agents, who subdued him and led him away to the Hennepin County Jail.
Officials closed in on the "preppy bandit" after receiving a call from a viewer of "America's Most Wanted," the popular Fox Television program that has featured Galli five times, said FBI spokesman Tom Ernst. Galli was working in a North-field, Minn., woodshop, the tipster said.
Agents surrounded the shop about 2 p.m. and confronted the fugitive in between a sander and lathe. They began comparing his fingers against a fingerprint card.
Galli cooperated for a few seconds.
"After the third finger matched, he pulled his hand away, and that's when it started," said Michael Waldner, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis office.
Galli bolted for a door immediately but was tripped by one of the agents, who then tackled the slender 26-year-old. The two wrestled for a second over the officer's 10mm handgun as the other agent jumped into the melee.
Galli is charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Green Parrot Cafe cook Merritt Riordan during a robbery May 17, 1992, in Salt Lake City. Prosecutors filed the charge against him while he was out on bail on robbery charges.
Even though he was the prime suspect in the homicide and had earlier fled to Seattle to avoid the robbery charges, seven different judges and commissioners all agreed to lower his bail.
So Galli took advantage of their mercy and fled a second time, leaving his family responsible for a $40,000 bond. His aunt eventually sold her condominium to cover the bond; other family members chipped in proceeds from the sale of six cars.
He had been on the run since November 1992.
Michael and Anne Riordan, Merritt's parents, were pleased with the news of Galli's arrest. But they doubt he will ever be tried for the death of their son.
His brother, Aaron, was also charged with the killing and convicted by a jury. However, prosecutors later dismissed the charge after the duo's cousin, Christopher, told people he had lied about his testimony at Aaron Galli's trial.
Christopher Galli was the state's star witness at Aaron's murder trial.
But when Christopher Galli told others he lied from the stand, prosecutors believed they could not convict Aaron Galli at a second trial, which was ordered by a judge. Therefore, their case against Adam Galli was equally weakened since the evidence against both him and Aaron is essentially the same.
Still, prosecutors say they have plenty of evidence on at least six robbery charges against Adam Galli.
"I think they'll put him away for a long time, just not for the death of Merritt. That's OK, at least he's off the street," Michael Riordan said.
Galli is being held on a warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He is awaiting extradition to Utah, which could occur as early as next week.