Dorchester man to face trial Friday for murder in 1988 stabbing

A 65-year-old man will be charged with murder on Friday in connection with the fatal stabbing attack on a woman in Roxbury in 1988, prosecutors said.

James Holloman of Dorchester is accused of killing 25-year-old Karen Taylor in 1988, according to the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden. Holloman was arrested Thursday after being indicted by a grand jury earlier that day.

His arraignment is scheduled for Friday morning in Suffolk Superior Court.

On May 27, 1988, Taylor's mother called to talk to her daughter. Taylor's three-year-old daughter answered the phone and said her mother could not be awakened.

Taylor's mother went to her apartment at 37 Williams Street in Roxbury but was unable to enter the building. She eventually crawled through the window of her daughter's bedroom at the back of the building. In the bedroom, she found Taylor lying facedown in a pool of blood, Hayden's office said in a statement.

Taylor was stabbed 15 times in the chest, head and neck, the statement said. Forensic tests using fingernail swabs from Taylor's right hand revealed a DNA profile of an unknown man.

In 2023, Boston Police received a sample of Holloman's DNA that matched the profile found under Taylor's fingernails.

“This is an example of the outstanding investigative work of detectives and prosecutors using modern forensic science, but most importantly, it is an opportunity for Karen Taylor's family to see someone answer for her death after so many years of unanswered questions,” Hayden said in the statement.

Further details are expected to be announced at Holloman's arraignment.