New York cops crack 2003 cold case murder of 20-year-old daughter of retired NYPD detective found bludgeoned on a path through new DNA evidence: Ex-boyfriend who is now paralyzed after car accident is arrested
A murder case involving the 20-year-old daughter of a retired NYPD detective in 2003, which featured on Dateline, has taken a new twist as police arrest a paralyzed 42-year-old man who dated the victim before her death.
Edward Holley, 42, who was paralyzed in a 2007 car crash, has been charged with second-degree murder relating to the 20-year-old cold case of Megan McDonald, who died at the age of 20 from blunt force trauma, having been bludgeoned to death.
The body of the SUNY Orange County Community College student was found in a field in Wallkill, just outside the city of Middletown and her car was discovered two days later.
Holley, who was already in county jail after breaking his probation for an October 2021 narcotics offence, is said to have dated Megan, but the pair had broken up before her death.
As he was wheeled from the barracks by troopers, Holley declared his innocence and said he ‘loved’ Megan but state police said he had a strong motive and DNA evidence linked him to the crime. He will remain behind bars pending trial.
Edward Holley, 42, who was paralyzed in a 2007 car crash, has been charged with second-degree murder relating the the 20-year-old cold case
The body of the SUNY Orange County Community College student Megan McDonald was found in a field in Wallkill, just outside the city of Middletown in March 2003
Police found a voicemail on Ms McDonald’s phone in which Holley said he’d seen Megan’s new boyfriend’s car in her driveway and said new people had come forward with more evidence.
DNA and cyber evidence also linked him to her murder, which police believed happened in her own driver’s seat.
Her father, a former NYPD detective, had died in 2002 of a heart attack. The NYC Detectives’ Endowment Association offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the resolution of the case, as did the FBI.
The jumpsuit-clad Holley said: ‘I’m definitely not guilty. I loved her with all my heart. They’re framing me like some monkey but it’s all good.’
But members of Megan’s family, some of whom were in tears, were scathing as police announced the new breakthrough.
James Whalen, the brother-in-law of the murdered student, said ‘He forever will be billed a monsters and a coward.
‘Do not let his current appearance fool you. This is a vile human being.’
NYSP Bureau of Crime Investigation Captain Joseph Kolek said. ‘It was the culmination of all the pieces over the course of the last 20 years that led us to this day.’
He continued to say the police believe the crime was ‘intimate partner violence’ and that Holley had owed Megan a substantial amount of money.
Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler confirmed that the arrest was made without consultation between his office and the police, which is the standard operating procedure in the county.
In what appeared to amount to criticism of the police’s handling of the case, Hoovler said the victim’s family deserved to have the case handled in the ‘best way possible’ and added that the investigation and prosecution would be prioritized by his office.
