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You are here: Home / Unsolved / Moira “Holly” Branagan (1962-1979)

Moira “Holly” Branagan (1962-1979)

March 28, 2016 By Alice

Moira "Holly" Branagan
Moira “Holly” Branagan

Moira “Holly” Branagan (1962 – 1979) was murdered 37 years ago today. Holly was found stabbed 18 times in the back with a 10-inch kitchen knife. The autopsy showed she had 15 serious knife wounds, three less serious wounds, and two defensive wounds on her hands.

The crime

The attack was so violent that the kitchen knife broke off in her back. The estimated time of her death was before dusk on March 28, 1979. The police found no evidence of burglary or forced entry. Holly was dead for about 18 hours before she was found. She had not been sexually assaulted.

Detective Galloway said that the murder appeared unplanned but it had a viciousness that points to a crime of high emotion. Police suspect Moira “Holly” Branagan knew her killer.

No fingerprints were found on the murder weapon. It was wiped clean. This means to me that the killer calmed down at the crime scene and that means the killer stayed long enough in the house to reach that cooling down moment.

The possible killer

The killing was a highly personal attack, very emotional, and centered on something Branagan must have said, done or, the exact opposite. With no forced entry and a personalized attack, it is possible that a friend, maybe another teenager, was responsible for her murder.

Updates in the Moira “Holly” Branagan case:

2010: John M. Morganelli, district attorney of Northampton County, starts a special investigative grand jury. This panel will hear evidence on as many as 31 cold cases including Holly’s. Robert Egan, a retired state police officer and detective, will lead the investigations for Morganelli’s office.

2014: Police reported to have a suspect. However, nothing else was made public since.

2016: the case is still with the Grand Jury but made nothing public.

My biggest concerns in the Branagan case are listed here. Various scenarios are discussed here.

Thank you for remembering Moira “Holly” Branagan with us. Please keep her father in your thoughts today.

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Related

Filed Under: Unsolved Tagged With: DNA, Knife Attack, Moira "Holly" Branagan, Pennsylvania

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Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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