See all of our Megan McDonald NY cold case homicide coverage here

Staff reports
Updated ·3 min read

About this series: Megan McDonald was just 20 when her beaten body was found in a field in Orange County, NY, in March 2003. For 20 years, her family has waited for answers. Then last spring, State Police charged Edward Holley with second-degree murder.

Holley says he's innocent.

The USA Today Network New York has reviewed an internal State Police report that takes us deep into the investigation. It reaches a shocking conclusion.

State Police say Orange County DA David Hoovler deliberately tampered with their investigation because he had once represented a man they believe was in the car the night Megan McDonald was murdered. David Hoovler has denied any such tampering took place. At the very least, the report exposes the bad blood that existed between police and prosecutors.

And it begs the question: Did that toxic relationship delay justice for Megan McDonald? Check out the stories below to learn more.

A notorious NY cold case took 20 years for an arrest. Here are the conflicts behind the scenes

Megan McDonald
Megan McDonald

It took 20 years for police to make an arrest in the 2003 Megan McDonald murder near Wallkill, NY. This exclusive report explains what happened.

Megan McDonald murder: Follow this timeline through the NY cold case twists and turns

The timeline for the Megan McDonald murder case includes details about the car crash that rendered suspect Edward Holley a paraplegic in 2007.
The timeline for the Megan McDonald murder case includes details about the car crash that rendered suspect Edward Holley a paraplegic in 2007.

It's been nearly 21 years since Megan McDonald's body was found in an Orange County field. Our timeline takes you through the cold case's every turn.

Who's Who in the Megan McDonald murder case

Elizabeth McDonald, mother of Megan sits beside a photo of her slain daughter during a press conference about the arrest of Edward Holley on April 20, 2023. Holley is being charged for the 2003 murder of Megan McDonald.
Elizabeth McDonald, mother of Megan sits beside a photo of her slain daughter during a press conference about the arrest of Edward Holley on April 20, 2023. Holley is being charged for the 2003 murder of Megan McDonald.

Who’s Who in the Megan McDonald homicide: The family, the suspects, the lawyers, the police and the judge in Orange County's high-profile case.

Megan McDonald case: Where the internal police report's narrative took State Police

The spot on Bowser Road in Wallkill Feb. 17, 2022, where Megan McDonald's body was found.
The spot on Bowser Road in Wallkill Feb. 17, 2022, where Megan McDonald's body was found.

The internal State Police report follows DA David Hoovler, and the facts of the Megan McDonald murder case, all over Orange County.

NY State Police: Pre-DA Hoovler said client knew ‘where the hammer is’ that killed McDonald

David Hoovler, the new Orange County district attorney, seen behind his desk on Feb. 2, 2014, said his office aims to boost community partnership.
David Hoovler, the new Orange County district attorney, seen behind his desk on Feb. 2, 2014, said his office aims to boost community partnership.

David Hoovler wanted a plea deal for the man police believe sat next to Megan McDonald when she was murdered. Here's what Hoovler said at the time.

Should judge in Megan McDonald case have stepped aside, because of brother-in-law?

Judge Craig Brown in his courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse in Goshen on October 10, 2023.
Judge Craig Brown in his courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse in Goshen on October 10, 2023.

Orange County Judge Craig Stephen Brown had a question about the Megan McDonald murder investigation. Did asking it cross a line?

Q&A: How one DA handles recusals

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn speaks at a press conference after a shooting at a supermarket on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn speaks at a press conference after a shooting at a supermarket on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)

Erie County DA John Flynn discusses how and when a prosecutor should recuse themself.

Megan McDonald murder: Can a lawyer ever divulge client's secrets?

Richard Lewis is president of the New York State Bar Association.
Richard Lewis is president of the New York State Bar Association.

President of State Bar Association talks about attorney-client privilege, a bedrock legal principle, and one that binds DA David Hoovler.

Brother-in-law says judge's 'big mess up' wrongly linked him to Megan McDonald case

Judge Craig Brown in his courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse in Goshen on October 10, 2023.
Judge Craig Brown in his courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse in Goshen on October 10, 2023.

Jason Rivera says he had nothing to do with the Megan McDonald case, and was only linked to it because his brother-in-law judge made a mistake.

NYPD detectives and Megan McDonald family call for FBI to investigate Orange County DA

Paul DiGiacomo, president of the NYPD's Detectives' Endowment Association, flanked by members of his group and Karen and James Whalen, the sister and brother-in-law of Megan McDonald, calls for the FBI and or Attorney General to investigate the actions of Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler. The DA, when he was in private practice, represented Andre Thurston, a man who was seeking a plea deal in the McDonald murder. Hoovler, after taking office in January 2014, failed to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation.

Within days of a USA Today Network New York series that revealed a blistering State Police report taking Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler to task for his alleged actions in the Megan McDonald murder investigation, the NYPD's Detectives' Endowment Association called for the FBI and New York's Attorney General to investigate Hoovler.

Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association, was flanked by members of his group and by Karen and James Whalen, the sister and brother-in-law of Megan McDonald, at the hastily called news conference.

"I've been a detective for over 40 years, and there's something that we go by, and that's gut instinct a lot," DiGiacomo said. "And this case smells. There were things done that were unethical, things done that were wrong, things done that should be investigated by the FBI and the attorney general to bring to light the corruption in that office in regards to this homicide case."

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: See all of our Megan McDonald NY murder case series coverage here