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Pelham church shooting suspect waives arraignment

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Oct 16, 2019

NASHUA — Dale Holloway, the 37-year-old Manchester man facing several charges in connection with the New England Pentecostal Church shooting that wounded two people – including the church’s founding Bishop – is due in court on Oct. 22 for an evidentiary hearing.

Holloway, whose most recent address is 549 Lake Ave., Manchester, waived Tuesday’s scheduled arraignment and bail hearing at Hillsborough County Superior Court South, and was ordered held without bail pending next week’s hearing.

Close to two dozen media representatives from southern New Hampshire, northeastern Massachusetts and Greater Boston arrived at the Nashua court throughout Tuesday morning, many roaming the hallways and asking questions of court officers while anticipating the hearing that they eventually learned wasn’t taking place.

Holloway, the stepson of NEP church Pastor Luis Garcia, who was shot and killed Oct. 1 in Londonderry, allegedly walked into the Bridge Street church Saturday morning during a wedding ceremony and opened fire.

He allegedly shot Bishop Stanley Choate in the chest, and shot the bride, Claire McMullen, in the arm. The groom, Mark Castiglione, suffered a head injury when Holloway allegedly struck him with the firearm.

McMullen and Castiglione have been released from the hospital. Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Agati said Tuesday that Choate is currently in stable condition at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Castiglione, the groom, is the father of Brandon Castiglione, the 24-year-old Londonderry man charged with Pastor Garcia’s murder.

Holloway, meanwhile, was promptly subdued by a host of wedding guests and turned over to police upon their arrival.

He was initially charged with one count of first-degree assault, a Class A felony that accuses him of “knowingly causing bodily injury to Bishop Choate by means of a deadly weapon” by shooting Choate in the chest, Agati said.

But the day after the shooting, Agati announced four additional charges had been filed against Holloway: One count each of attempted murder; felon in possession of a firearm; second-degree assault; and simple assault.

The attempted murder charge accuses Holloway of “aiming a firearm at Bishop Choate and shooting (him) in the chest with a purpose that a murder be committed,” while the felon in possession offense alleges Holloway possessed a firearm after being convicted of two felony charges – assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault to kill, in 2003 in Suffolk County in Massachusetts.

The second-degree assault charge accuses Holloway of recklessly causing bodily injury to McMullen by shooting her in the arm, while the simple assault charge, a Class A misdemeanor, accuses him of striking Mark Castiglione with the firearm.

Court documents indicate Holloway had a .380 caliber semi-automatic firearm in his possession at the time of the alleged shootings.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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