Postal worker gets 35 years for April murder

BAKER CITY, Ore. – Grant Gallaher, 41, was sentenced to at least 35 years in prison for the murder of his supervisor at the Baker City post office and the attempted murder of the postmaster.

Gallaher, a former letter carrier, pleaded guilty in Baker County Circuit Court to shooting Lori Hayes-Kotter to death in April with a handgun and attempting to use the gun to kill Michael McGuire, Baker City postmaster.

Gallaher accepted an agreement with the district attorney’s office that will require him to serve a life sentence, with a 25-year minimum prison term, for the murder. He also agreed to a consecutive 10-year mandatory prison term for his attempt on McGuire’s life.

As part of the plea agreement, Gallaher waived his right to appeal, except on the grounds that he was not adequately represented by counsel.

In exchange for the guilty plea, federal authorities agreed not to prosecute Gallaher further, and a grand jury that has been held open to consider other possible charges will be closed.

Investigators believe McGuire, who was out of the building at the time, was Gallaher’s intended target. Gallaher was reportedly upset about a decision to add extra work to his delivery route.

District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff said when Gallaher arrived at the federal building looking for the postmaster, he struck Hayes-Kotter with his postal vehicle as she walked across the back parking lot. Hayes-Kotter, 49, was knocked down and seriously injured at that point, Shirtcliff said.

Gallaher then entered the post office with a gun looking for McGuire. Gallaher left the building after failing to find the postmaster, and returned to the parking lot and shot Hayes-Kotter several times at close range.

Had Gallaher killed McGuire as well, he would have been charged with aggravated murder and could have faced the death penalty, Shirtcliff said.

Because of the brutality of the murder, Shirtcliff said he was not willing to negotiate for less prison time than provided under Oregon law.

“We made a decision that the maximum sentence is what should be imposed and we never wavered from that,” he said.