Man Arrested In 36 Year Old Cold Case After Spit On Sidewalk Links Him To Murder Of Woman

After 36 years of unanswered questions, a decades-old cold case in Boston has finally been solved with the arrest of a man accused of murdering a young mother. James Holloman has been charged in the 1988 stabbing death of Karen Taylor after DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene, according to a report by People.

The chilling case began on May 27, 1988, when Taylor, 25, was found brutally murdered in her apartment in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Her lifeless body was discovered by her own mother after Taylor’s 3-year-old daughter answered the phone and said her mother was “sleeping and she couldn’t wake her up.”

Desperate for answers, Taylor’s mother went to the apartment and, unable to enter, climbed through a window. Inside, she found her daughter lying face down in a pool of blood.

An autopsy later revealed Taylor had been stabbed 15 times in the chest, head, and neck.

Though investigators found a check made out to Holloman near the crime scene, they were unable to make a definitive connection to him for decades. A major breakthrough came last year when Holloman, now 54, unwittingly provided his DNA after spitting on a sidewalk.

His DNA was later matched to samples recovered from Taylor’s body, including material found under her fingernails, on a bloody sweatshirt, and on a cigarette near the scene.

Holloman, who had no prior criminal record, was arrested on September 19, 2024. He is now facing charges for a crime that haunted the Boston community for years. His attorney, however, expressed skepticism about the DNA evidence, noting the difficulty of proving its reliability after so many years.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden praised the tireless work of law enforcement, stating, “This case exemplifies superb investigative work by detectives and prosecutors utilizing modern criminological science.”

He continued, “Most importantly, it provides an opportunity for Karen Taylor’s loved ones to see someone held accountable for her death after so many years of unanswered questions.”

Karen Taylor’s tragic death left a lasting impact on her family, especially her daughter, who was present in the home during the murder. Her family, now able to see movement toward justice, will face a legal process long overdue but critically necessary for closure.