The parents of UA student Mia Henderson, who was stabbed to death one year ago today, have sued the university, state and Arizona Board of Regents.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, alleges the university knew Galareka Harrison was upset and angry that Henderson had filed complaints about her with the police and university officials, yet the university failed to separate the roommates or provide for Henderson's safety.
Henderson, 18, died Sept. 5, 2007, after being stabbed or slashed nearly two dozen times in the dorm room she shared with Harrison.
Harrison, 19, was indicted on one count of first-degree murder, three counts of forgery and one count of identity theft. Jury selection is slated to begin next week in her trial.
Henderson, who was from Tuba City, and Harrison, who is from Chinle, were both living in the O'odham Ki wing of the Graham-Greenlee dormitory as part of the Native American First Year Scholar program.
People are also reading…
According to the lawsuit and other court documents, Henderson told UA police a week before she died that Harrison had stolen her Social Security card and UA CatCard, which is similar to a debit card. She also reported Harrison had withdrawn $500 from her bank account without her permission.
Henderson also told the dean of students, dormitory housing administrator and the Native American First Year Scholars program what Harrison had allegedly done.
The lawsuit states Henderson asked for Harrison to be reassigned to another dorm room but was ignored despite the fact Harrison confessed to a university police officer.
The Hendersons' Phoenix attorneys, John Aguirre and Thomas Ryan, claim Harrison had not only confessed to the crimes involving Henderson, but she had also admitted she'd stolen another girl's identification and forged — but not yet cashed — two other checks totaling $3,000.
"The university was aware that Galareka was emotionally upset, fearful that she was being prosecuted, angry that Mia had reported her crimes and blamed Mia rather than her own criminal acts as the source of her difficulties," the lawsuit states. "Some act of retribution by Galareka against Mia was reasonably foreseeable, and reasonable care required simple precautions for Mia's protection."
Charles and Jennifer Henderson, who are educators in Apache County, are seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages in the suit filed on July 15.
"There is an emptiness in their lives that was once filled with the presence of this intelligent, loving, bright, young woman," the lawsuit states.
In addition to her parents, Henderson is survived by three younger siblings.
A spokeswoman with the Arizona Board of Regents would not comment, citing a policy of not discussing pending litigation.
Harrison's attorney, Assistant Pima County Public Defender John O'Brien, also has a policy of not commenting on pending cases. However, he has indicated during court hearings that he intends to argue Harrison acted in self-defense.
Harrison's taped interview with police was officially made part of the court file last week and obtained by the Arizona Daily Star.
According to it, Harrison initially told police she came to her dorm room early on the morning of Sept. 5 and found Henderson and an unknown man there.
Harrison said the man told Henderson to kill her.
When Henderson refused, he attacked Henderson with a knife. Harrison said he turned the knife on her when she tried to help Henderson. She managed to get away and ran down the hall screaming for help, she said.
Harrison speculated the man got out through a window when she left for help.
Harrison also told police it was Henderson who had been stealing from her, in secret and at gunpoint.
She claimed Henderson ordered her to use Henderson's CatCard to purchase items and to cash a forged check. She also said Henderson forced her to confess the thefts to a UA police officer.
"She was all like, if you don't do it, you know what's going to happen," Harrison told detectives.
UA police detectives Mario Leon and Martin Ramirez later confronted Harrison on inconsistencies in her statement.
They noted Harrison told two emergency-room workers Henderson attacked her. They also pointed out there was no physical evidence to support her story about the man.
Harrison said she was probably in a panic when she arrived at the hospital and spoke to the staff. She continued to insist the man was responsible for the attack.
After further questioning, Harrison admitted she lied about the man but continued to insist Henderson had stolen more than $900 from her, forced her to cash the forged check and to lie to police.
On the morning of Henderson's death, Harrison said Henderson taunted her about going to jail and then tried to attack her with the knife.
"I did try to grab it from her. I struggled with it, but she came at me, and then I was trying to grab it from her. Then I didn't know what to do. I mean, she was just so weird, and then I, I had took it away from her and I started to (inaudible) her up. And then she tumbled for a while and we both tumbled trying to get the knife back."
Harrison, who suffered a significant cut to her leg and other wounds during the struggle, insisted she only stabbed Henderson three times.
The detectives told Harrison she must have been really angry because Henderson was stabbed at least 12 times. The autopsy later revealed Henderson was stabbed 14 times in the back and had nine wounds elsewhere.
"I was just so mad. My family thinks I'm being good over here and everything and I didn't want to tell them," Harrison said. "And they just really believed in me. Then she started saying that and I was just, it just got me so mad."
Later, Harrison changed her story again.
When Ramirez asked Harrison if Henderson was lying face down when she attacked her, Harrison replied "She was just laying there."
She then explained Henderson woke up before she stabbed her the first time.
"That's how she got those cuts on her hands, because she grabbed it from me," Harrison said.
Harrison first said the knife was Henderson's, but when the detectives said they heard differently, she admitted she bought it at Target the night before.
She also acknowledged she wrote a suicide note the night before, pretending to be Henderson and recanting the allegations made against Harrison.
Harrison's trial is expected to last approximately two weeks.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Nanette Warner is presiding.