Community Demands Maximum Justice as Accused Killer of Baby Elena Faces Pre-Trial Hearing

Middlesboro, Ky. – As the pre-trial conference for Harvey Gallahan nears this August, a wave of grief and fury continues to swell across Bell County. Gallahan is accused of murdering 17-month-old Elena Hembree, a helpless toddler whose death has left a permanent scar on the community’s conscience.

Known affectionately as “Baby Elena,” the child died in 2023 after suffering weeks of unspeakable abuse while in the care of Gallahan and her mother, Erica Lawson. Lawson has since pleaded guilty to murder under a deal with the Commonwealth, agreeing to testify against Gallahan as part of her agreement.

Elena was reportedly in the home with Gallahan—a man many describe as cold, remorseless, and dangerously sociopathic—for at least twenty days before her death. Prosecutors allege that she endured relentless physical abuse during that time.

One local mother of 4-year-old twins, who asked not to be named publicly, expressed what many in the community are feeling:

“It would be a betrayal to justice if this man doesn’t go to trial and receive the harshest punishment Kentucky allows. He wasn’t hiding her—other people saw that child. Anyone who was in that home while that baby suffered should be held accountable too.

If a plea deal is negotiated with this sociopathic danger to society, it will devastate this community. This isn’t political—it’s deeply personal. This case has affected every person I know. We are all watching.”

Efforts to contact the Bell County Commonwealth’s Attorney for any information has went unanswered.

Gallahan remains in custody and has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty, depending on the outcome of a potential jury trial.