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DNA match leads to arrest in 1988 knife murder case

DNA match leads to arrest in 1988 knife murder case

A Massachusetts man has been arrested in connection with the unsolved killing of a young mother in 1988.

James Holloman, 65, a resident of Dorchester, about 6 miles south of Boston, was arraigned Friday morning in Suffolk Superior Court, according to a news release from Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden.

Authorities said Holloman will face first-degree murder charges after he was charged and arrested Thursday by the Boston Police Department's Detective Unit in connection with the 1988 stabbing death of 25-year-old Karen Taylor of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.

DNA from fingernail swabs from Taylor's right hand indicated the identity of an “unknown male,” the press release said.

Thirty-five years later, in 2023, Boston Police investigators obtained a DNA sample from Holloman that matched the sample found under Taylor's fingernails, authorities said, the press release said.

As Boston 25 News reported, investigators obtained a DNA sample from Holloman last year by sprinkling his saliva on the ground outside his home.

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

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Karen Taylor was murdered in her bedroom, leaving behind her 3-year-old daughter

On May 27, 1988, Taylor's mother called her when her 3-year-old granddaughter answered the phone, authorities said.

Investigators said Taylor's daughter told her grandmother that her mother “was sleeping and she couldn't wake her.”

Taylor's mother went to her Roxbury apartment to find out what was going on. After entering Taylor's first-floor apartment through the window, her mother found her lying facedown in a pool of blood, authorities said.

Investigators said Taylor had numerous stab wounds to her chest, head and neck area. She had been stabbed 15 times.

Murder suspect in custody; held without bail

Holloman was arraigned on Friday and ordered detained without bail, the press release said.

Boston 25 News reported that Holloman pleaded not guilty.

The outlet also reported that prosecutors found Holloman's DNA on the sleeve of Taylor's sweatshirt and on a cigarette in her bedroom.

Taylor was found wearing a gray sweatshirt and bra, also covered in blood, as well as two cigarettes and a paycheck made out to Holloman, the outlet reported.

Prosecutors also revealed that Holloman recently told police he actually saw Taylor the day before her death. Decades ago, he told investigators he had not seen Taylor in the weeks before, Boston 25 News reported.

Authorities said Holloman will be due back in court on October 29.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on USA TODAY's National Trending Team. Ahjané covers breaking news, auto recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

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