New Hampshire

Man Charged With Stealing Funeral Fundraiser Money, Buying Car

A New Hampshire family mourning the tragic loss of their daughter is now dealing with yet another blow, as a man is now charged with stealing nearly $6,000 from a fund set up to help with funeral expenses.

For Mark Galusha, the pain of losing his daughter only gets deeper as we get closer and closer to her favorite holiday.

"The hardest part will be getting the Christmas tree," Galusha said Thursday. "Because she was always there with me when we did."

His 23-year-old daughter, Sabrina Galusha, was stabbed to death back in May.

"It was devastating," he said.

A GoFundMe page was set up to help her family pay for services, but a month later, all the money was gone.

"We were angry and we were hurt," he said.

Galusha tells NBC Boston his boss so generously paid for the funeral, but the family canceled a special memorial they had planned once they realized there was no money for it.

Concord police say Sabrina’s acquaintance who started the fundraiser, Jeff Grenier, stole almost about $5,800 from the account and used it to buy himself a new car.

"It just opens the wound again and pours salt on it," said Concord Police Lt. Sean Ford. "It’s absolutely mind boggling to me as to how someone could do this."

Police arrested Grenier Wednesday. He’s out of jail on bail, but when NBC Boston showed up to his Manchester apartment, he declined to comment.

The Galushas say his arrest is a step forward.

"It was a big sigh of relief, I just went, 'Thank you,'" Galusha said.

It was a brief moment of peace for this dad, as he works through heartache, to keep the magic of the season alive in honor of his daughter.

"We’re going to decorate the house, and we’re going to have a good Christmas," he said. "That’s what she would want, so that’s what we’re going to do."

The Galushas are hopeful they’ll recoup some of the stolen money, at least enough for that memorial they wanted for Sabrina.

Grenier faces a judge on Dec. 14.

The man who allegedly murdered Sabrina is set for trial in the coming months.

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