Megan McDonald case: Where the internal police report's narrative took State Police
The State Police internal report gives one perspective on the Megan McDonald murder case and follows the investigation, and DA David Hoovler, all over Orange County.
BOWSER ROAD, Wallkill: The report begins where Megan McDonald’s life ended, on a path off Bowser Road on March 14, 2003. Her body was discovered the next day.
ORANGE COUNTY JAIL, Goshen: On March 17, 2022, it’s inside the jail, where Edward Holley, who is out of jail, talks to his wife, who is in jail on a probation violation. The recorded phone calls reveal that, according to Holley, DA David Hoovler told him he was the prime suspect in the McDonald murder, warned Holley to be wary of recorded phone calls, and offered a secret plea deal to Holley, a deal police investigators knew nothing about.
ARMORY UNITY CENTER, Newburgh: On April 26, 2022, it finds Hoovler as emcee of the county’s Crime Victim Vigil. He introduces speakers, including McDonald’s sister and brother-in-law. After the event, he talks to State Police Lt. Brad Natalizio, who gives him the unsettling news that there are records from Hoovler’s role in 2008, in the form of ADA Maryellen Black Albanese’s notes that challenge the way Hoovler has been describing his role representing Andre Thurston, a suspect in the McDonald murder investigation.
D LUX DINER, Wallkill: It follows Hoovler after the Armory event, when he asks Natalizio to meet him at the D Lux Diner in Wallkill, where they talk through the case. Natalizio describes Hoovler as “anxious, frazzled and even disheveled during the conversation.” Once again, Hoovler tells Natalizio he won’t hand the case to another prosecutor. Hoovler tells Natalizio if ADA Leah Canton and Stu Rosenwasser decide there is enough to move forward with an arrest, he would approve it.
DA’S OFFICE, Goshen: On March 10, 2023, it’s on the phone call between State Police Capt. Joe Kolek and Hoovler when the DA wants to conduct a TV interview that threatens to run afoul of the carefully crafted State Police media plan, one they had used as an investigative tool against Holley. When Hoovler is convinced to abandon a TV interview with reporter Blaize Gomez, he turns furious and calls ADA Chris Kelly. Hoovler bellows so loudly into the phone that others in the room with Kelly, including State Police Investigator Corletta, could clearly hear what was being said. He accused Kelly of siding with police.
SHAWANGUNK LAKE RESERVOIR, Mount Hope: On March 29, 2023, it’s on the road by the Shawangunk Lake Reservoir , where Kolek and Hoovler watch State Police divers comb the reservoir bottom in search of the murder weapon. The DA and the State Police captain state their positions — Hoovler for patience, Kolek for an arrest — and stand their ground.
STATE POLICE TROOP F HEADQUARTERS, Middletown: On April 20, 2023, Edward Holley is arrested, handcuffed and wheeled from the State Police barracks. Soon, a podium is produced, with oversized photos of Holley and Megan McDonald. Police brass and troopers are there. The McDonald family is there. Reporters and photographers are there. Friends of the family are there. Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler is not there.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Megan McDonald murder: Where the police narrative follows DA Hoovler
