BOSTON – A 35-year-old cold case has been reopened with the arrest of James Holloman, 65, of Dorchester, in connection to the 1988 murder of Karen Taylor in Roxbury. Prosecutors revealed that Holloman’s DNA, obtained after he spit on the sidewalk outside his home, has been linked to DNA found at the crime scene.
Holloman pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Suffolk Superior Court on Friday and was ordered to be held without bail. The arrest brings new developments in the unsolved case of Taylor, who was 25 when she was found stabbed 15 times in her home on May 27, 1988.
According to prosecutor Lynn Feigenbaum, Boston Police collected DNA from under Taylor’s fingernails, as well as from a cigarette and sweatshirt found at the scene. However, it wasn’t until last year, when Holloman spit on the sidewalk, that police were able to make a DNA match using modern forensic techniques. Holloman was arrested Thursday afternoon.
Taylor’s murder went undiscovered for hours, as her 3-year-old daughter, who was in the home, told her grandmother over the phone that her mother was “sleeping” and couldn’t be awakened.
Following the arraignment, Holloman’s attorney expressed skepticism about the DNA evidence, raising doubts about how reliable the match could be after so many years. Holloman’s next court hearing is scheduled for October 29.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden praised the investigators, stating, “This is an example of superb investigative work by detectives and prosecutors using modern criminology science, but most of all it’s an opportunity for Karen Taylor’s loved ones to see someone answer for her death after so many years of unanswered questions.”