GOSHEN – The jury in the retrial of Edward Holley will begin its second full week of deliberations Monday in Orange County Court in the courtroom of Hyun Chin Kim.
Holley, 45, is accused of killing Megan McDonald in the Town of Wallkill more than two decades ago. Like the first trial, the jury has struggled to reach a verdict and has asked Judge Kim for readbacks of several key pieces of testimony.
At one point last week, the jury indicated that more than half of the 12-person panel favored a not-guilty verdict. In a poll conducted by Mid-Hudson News this week, several Hudson Valley attorneys in private practice said they believe Holley will either be acquitted or that the jury will again end up deadlocked.
Holley faces a murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
If the jury remains divided, Judge Kim could deliver an Allen charge, an instruction given to a deadlocked jury encouraging jurors to reach a consensus. Judge Kim issued an Allen charge during the first trial, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial last April. McDonald and Holley’s families continue to be present in the courthouse during deliberations.
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, including multiple fractures to the skull. McDonald was 20 years old at the time of her death. Holley had previously dated her.
Deliberations begin on Monday morning. The trial, which began on Jan. 12, went to the jury at about 4:25 p.m. on Friday, February 27th.
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