Deadlocked jurors end fifth day of deliberations without verdict in 2003 murder of Orange County woman
The jury is continuing to carefully weigh the evidence in the second-degree murder case against Edward Holley before making their decision.
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Deadlocked jurors ended the fifth day of their deliberations without a verdict in the high-profile murder of a young Orange County woman 22 years ago.
The jury is continuing to carefully weigh the evidence against Megan McDonald’s accused killer, Edward Holley, before making that enormous decision. They said twice Monday, after days of deliberations, that they couldn’t reach a verdict, but the judge ordered them to continue trying.
On Tuesday, they requested read backs of a state police investigator’s testimony.
Holley is accused of bludgeoning McDonald, his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend, with a claw hammer in 2003 and then dumping her body in a muddy field off Bowser Road in the Town of Wallkill.
It took state police 20 years to charge Holley, and they did in 2023 after they said new DNA evidence linked him to the case. No murder weapon was ever found, however, and the defense said the only DNA evidence that was presented in court – trace amounts of Holley’s DNA on McDonald’s phone and in her car – is minimal and expected since they were, at one point, dating.
Since last week, jurors have requested other testimony read backs from several witnesses, as well as other evidence like phone records and crime scene photos.
Holley’s trial took nearly a month. If the jury remains deadlocked, the judge could declare a mistrial. Deliberations will continue on Wednesday.
Holley is facing 25 years to life in prison if he’s found guilty.
