A man convicted of shooting and wounding a New Hampshire bishop and assaulting the bride and groom in 2019 played his own rap music for the jury Wednesday as part of his insanity defense, saying he wanted to show how he was dealing with demons and hearing voices. The jury in Nashua had found Dale Holloway guilty on Tuesday on one of two attempted murder charges, and several assault charges. Holloway, 41, who is acting as his own attorney, had pleaded innocent. The panel, in considering a sentence, is now listening to him present evidence that he had suffered from a mental disease or defect when the crimes were committed.
During the trial, Holloway shared his rap music with the jury, explaining that it represented his struggle with inner demons and the voices he claimed to hear. He mentioned that one of the voices he heard was Satan’s. Holloway’s defense is centered around the assertion that he was not in control of his actions due to mental illness.
The shootings occurred in October 2019 at New England Pentecostal Ministries in Pelham, New Hampshire. The incident took place nearly two weeks after Holloway’s stepfather, who was a pastor at the church, was killed by the son of the groom. The son was later convicted of murder and sentenced to prison. On the day of the wedding, a separate celebration of life ceremony for Holloway’s stepfather had been planned at the same church.
Holloway questioned why the wedding was not held separately from his stepfather’s ceremony in his closing arguments. He claimed that the participants of the wedding had intended to disrespect his stepfather’s memory. Prosecutor John Harding III argued that Holloway entered the church with the intention to kill, citing his possession of a loaded gun.
Holloway is already serving a prison sentence of 7 1/2 to 15 years for assaulting his lawyer. As part of his insanity defense, he presented a forensic psychologist who diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoid personality disorder. However, it was noted that the diagnosis was a preliminary draft and not a full evaluation.
In the shooting incident, Bishop Stanley Choate was shot in the chest, while the bride, Claire McMullen, was shot in the arm. Holloway was convicted of attempted murder in shooting Choate, two counts of second-degree assault in causing bodily injury to Choate and McMullen, and simple assault for striking the groom, Mark Castiglione, on the head. The jury acquitted Holloway of an attempted murder charge in the shooting of McMullen.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but it is worth noting that Mark Castiglione, the groom, is the father of the man convicted of killing Holloway’s stepfather. Brandon Castiglione was sentenced to 42 years in prison for second-degree murder.
In conclusion, Dale Holloway’s use of his own rap music during his insanity defense has brought attention to his claims of dealing with personal demons and hearing voices. The jury will now determine the appropriate sentence, taking into consideration his mental state at the time of the crimes.
