Arizona’s longest untried murder goes to court
May 12, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — The longest untried murder in the history of Arizona is finally getting underway.
Jury selection will begin Monday in the murder trial of Bryan Wayne Hulsey, who is believed to be responsible for the 2007 killing of Glendale Police Officer Anthony Holly.
The road to get to trial has been such a long one because of issues with Hulsey’s defense, according to KTAR’s legal analyst Monica Lindstrom.
“There have been probably four or five changes in defense counsel from the beginning of the case to (now),” Lindstrom said.
The turnover in counsel has in effect forced each new defense team to start from the beginning in preparing Hulsey’s case.
Lindstrom said statements and interviews recorded years ago will play an important role in the strength of witness testimonies.
“I doubt that there will be any issues with the physical evidence,” Lindstrom said. “There could be some issues with witness testimony, because we all know that your memory starts to fade after time.”
Holly was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Feb. 19, 2007, as he came to back up another officer during the stop. While removing occupants from the vehicle, Holly was shot after one man, believed to be Hulsey, removed a gun from his waistband.
Holly was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, where he was pronounced dead.
