Who Killed Holly Branagan?

I received this email over the holidays.

I am a 33 year old Bethlehem resident who has been reading your blog for about three years now. Checking your blog is part of my morning routine along with changing diapers, making coffee, and checking the mcall and express times.

Lately, I have been intrigued with the Holly Brannigan case. I can’t stop researching it. I am just baffled as to why no one was ever charged. Since we are approaching the 40th anniversary (March) I was wondering if you might be able to do a posting on it. I am not sure if you have previously posted anything related to this case, but thought I’d drop you a line to request it.

Happy New Year! Keep up the good work!

Like the writer and many other people I know, the March 1979 murder of Holly Branagan has always mystified me. Holly was a high school student who lived with her father and brother. Her mother had previously died from cancer. Holly was stabbed in the back, quite literally, inside her home with a 10-inch kitchen knife. There were 18 wounds, 15 of which were fatal. The knife was still in her back when her body was discovered the next day by her brother and a friend. It had been wiped clean.

Her brother had spent that night at the home of a friend. In addition, Holly's father was out of town on business. She had made arrangements to go for pizza that night with a girlfriend.

Distraught by the lack of progress, brother Sean started to spread a rumor that he and the Bethlehem police knew who had killed his sister, and that police were getting ready to make an arrest. Sean was warned by his father that spreading this rumor would make him a target, but he continued. He wanted to flush out the murderer.

Maybe he did.

The next year, he was fatally injured in an explosion at a gas station while using a power washer. He lived a short time, and police visited him in the hospital to see if he killed Holly or knew the killer. He shook his head No to both questions.

The death was ruled accidental.

I spoke with District Attorney John Morganelli about the case. He told me this case is still the subject of a grand jury investigation. He noted that fingerprints were found, but did not match up with anyone who might be involved. He indicated a Bethlehem police detective continued to work the case after he retired. While Bethlehem police identified a suspect, this detective had a different theory.  According to Morganelli, these theories lack one thing - evidence.

Below are two interesting podcasts about this case from True Crime Garage.







Holly Branagan murder