Marblehead teen Oscar Galante appeared in Lynn Juvenile Court July 17 for a compliance and election hearing connected to the August 2025 crash that killed 13-year-old Savanah Gatchell.
At the hearing, the prosecution informed the court that they were still gathering evidence.
Assistant District Attorney Kaitlyn Bastarache said she had requested an entire lab file and a partial download of Galante’s mobile phone. She also informed the court that the outstanding collision analysis and reconstruction of the crash would be completed soon.
Christine Gatchell, Savanah’s mother, sat in the benches behind the prosecution wearing a knee-length dress and a headband.
Galante, who is charged as a youthful offender with motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, wore a suit and salmon-colored tie. In the courtroom, he sat alongside defense attorney Joseph Dever and his parents. Several other people attended in support of the defense.
After the hearing, Sharyn Lubas, the Essex County DA’s chief of staff, explained that the requested lab file could relate to the State Police Crime Lab or the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, depending on whether Bastarache is seeking forensic evidence or autopsy and toxicology reports.
Dever said he was uncertain about the specifics of the lab files that the prosecution had requested, including whether the labs were connected to Gatchell or Galante. He added that the events of the hearing were “routine.”
The “compliance” portion of the hearing refers to the prosecution’s obligation to share all their evidence with the defense.
Dever said that he expected to have the evidence from the prosecution before the next compliance and election hearing, which is set for Sept. 17.
On that date, the Commonwealth will confirm whether the prosecution has met its discovery obligations, and the defense will decide on their next steps, including whether to waive its right to a jury trial.
In advance of the hearing, Christine Gatchell cried in the waiting room alongside an advocate. She declined to comment on the events of the hearing.
At his arraignment in January, Galante pleaded “not a youthful offender,” the equivalent of “not guilty” in adult court, after being indicted as a youthful offender in connection to the Aug. 19 crash near 352 Atlantic Ave.
Galante is currently under house arrest with a GPS monitoring and has also been ordered not to contact Gatchell’s family and witnesses involved in the case.
