GOSHEN – Opening statements from the prosecution and defense in the retrial of Edward Holley are expected on Tuesday afternoon in Orange County Court.
Holley, 45, is accused of killing Megan McDonald in the Town of Wallkill more than two decades ago. Jury selection in the retrial began last Monday, and 12 jurors have been picked for the case. Six alternates are scheduled to be selected on Tuesday before opening statements begin.
A mistrial was declared in the highly publicized case last April after the deadlocked jury could not reach a verdict after more than a week of deliberations in Judge Hyun Chin Kim’s courtroom. Kim is also the Judge in the retrial.
Holley, of Wawayanda, is accused of killing McDonald nearly 23 years ago in the Town of Wallkill. He was arrested by State Police in April of 2023 and faces a murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
McDonald’s body was found on a narrow dirt path on March 15, 2003, on Bowser Road in Wallkill. The cause of death was blunt force trauma, with multiple fractures to the skull. McDonald was 20 years old at the time of her death. Holley had previously dated McDonald.
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