Jury selection begins in long-delayed McDonald murder retrial

Jury selection began Monday at the Orange County Courthouse in Goshen for the retrial of 45-year-old Edward Holley, who faces a renewed murder prosecution in the 2003 death of 20-year-old Megan McDonald. The court expected selection to run through the week as attorneys and Judge Hyun Chin Kim move to assemble a panel for what could be an extended trial.

Holley, a Wawayanda resident, was first charged on April 20, 2023. His initial trial, held last year and running from March 3 to April 16, ended in a mistrial after jurors failed to reach consensus on guilt following seven days of deliberations. Prosecutors allege Holley did not act alone and contend he attacked McDonald in a predawn confrontation inside her car on March 14, 2003 during an argument over money she said he owed her.

During the prior trial, the state presented more than 50 witnesses, including McDonald’s friends and family, State Police investigators who worked the case over many years, and DNA and forensic experts. Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Sikirica testified that a claw hammer may have been used and that most of the violence occurred outside McDonald’s car; she died from severe skull fractures and brain injuries due to blunt force trauma. Prosecutors also pointed to DNA found on McDonald’s cellphone and the backside of her car’s driver’s seat as the strongest physical evidence, with experts testifying the DNA produced low-match statistics to Holley. An inmate at the Orange County Jail previously testified that he allegedly overheard Holley confessing to another inmate.

Holley has maintained his innocence since his arrest. The defense did not present witnesses in the first trial, and Judge Kim has set aside more time for the retrial, anticipating it could last up to eight weeks if the defense calls a case. That extended timeline reflects not just the complexity of the evidence but also a logistical hurdle: coordinating the calendars of two special prosecutors, Julia Cornachio and Laura Murphy, Holley’s three-attorney defense team led by Paul Weber, the judge and dozens of potential witnesses.

For Orange County residents, the case underscores both the human toll of a long-running investigation and practical consequences for the local court system. Extended trials pull courtroom time that could affect other cases and require jurors to make substantial time commitments. If you are summoned for jury duty in the coming weeks, plan on the possibility of multiweek service and make arrangements now.

The retrial will proceed into the winter calendar, and its outcome will determine whether jurors can reach the consensus that eluded the first panel. For neighbors, family and the county court, the proceedings are another chapter in a case that has stretched across decades and will continue to shape local courtroom life in the months ahead.