As deliberations in Ed Holley murder trial drag into Week 3, judge plans to keep jury working longer
Before dismissing the jury Friday afternoon, Judge Hyun Chin Kim said she was "concerned" about how long deliberations are taking, and that she will keep the jury working up to extra hour each day beginning Monday.
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The jury in the second murder trial of Edward Holley is coming back to Orange County Court in Goshen Monday after wrapping Day 10 of deliberations without a verdict, but also without another note telling the court they are deadlocked.
The jury reviewed sections of testimony from several witnesses about DNA on Megan McDonald's cellphone that prosecutors say is evidence that Holley killed Megan in the Town of Wallkill in 2003.
They also reviewed testimony from an employee of a low match DNA analysis company looking to nail down a definition of "likelihood ratio."
The testimony read-backs were in response the jury's request to review statements about Megan's cellphone that were made by anyone during the trial.
When Megan's car was found three days after the murder her cellphone was inside.
Prosecutors argued that Holley attacked Megan in her car, and then hit her several times in the head with a blunt object believed to be a hammer.
New York State Police tested the DNA from the phone, unable to conclude whether it matched Holley's DNA.
Then the agency sent the evidence to Cybergenetics Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA for low-match DNA analysis to determine the likelihood that Holley's DNA was present in old DNA mixtures pulled from Megan's cellphone.
State police also told the company ahead of time that Holley was their suspect.
The company did multiple tests on different mixtures, eventually determining that one mixture as more likely to have Holley's DNA in it than that of a random person.
The special prosecutors said the analysis is significant, making it an important part of their case.
Through cross-examination Holley's defense team highlighted the numerous steps taken in screening the DNA before coming up with DNA evidence to present at trial.
The jury also reviewed testimony about another cellphone that had been used by another acquaintance of Megan.
Megan's phone received a call from the phone about three hours after when she was believed to have been killed.
Before dismissing the jury late Friday, Judge Hyun Chin Kim said she was "concerned" about how long deliberations are taking, and that she will keep the jury working up to extra hour each day beginning Monday.
