DNA from Spit on Sidewalk Links 65-Year-Old Man to Cold Case 1988 Murder of Boston Woman, Police Say
Police said they were able to use DNA from spit on the sidewalk to help them crack a 1988 cold case murder.
Sept. 23 2024, Published 3:42 p.m. ET
DNA from spit on a sidewalk has helped police arrest a Massachusetts man in connection with a 1988 cold case murder, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Sept. 19, James Holloman, 65, was arrested for the May 1988 murder of Karen Taylor at her Roxbury home, according to court documents obtained by WFXT.
Police said they were able to use sidewalk spit to help crack a 1988 cold case murder.
Authorities said saliva samples from Holloman were collected in 2023 from the sidewalk in front of his residence.
This allowed the Boston Police Department to obtain his DNA, which has now been linked to evidence found at the scene of Taylor’s murder in 1988.
After matching the DNA from the spit to the crime scene, an arrest was made.
“What I understand is they collected a DNA sample from the ground after he spit, and that’s how they claim to have matched all this up,” defense attorney Anthony Ellison told WFXT.
On May 27, 1988, Taylor’s mother called her, but Taylor’s 3-year-old daughter answered the phone and told her grandmother that her mom was sleeping and could not be woken.
The victim was found with 15 stab wounds and lying in a pool of blood by police in 1988.
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Taylor’s mother went to her apartment and found her daughter in a pool of blood, with wounds to her head, neck and chest after being stabbed 15 times, authorities said.
Officers responded to the home of Taylor and also found the young mother lying face down in a pool of blood, officials said.
Her daughter was also in the apartment. Police said they found a gray sweatshirt and brassiere, also covered in blood, two cigarettes, and a paycheck made out to Holloman lying near Taylor’s body.
During his arraignment, Holloman hid behind a door and the court officer while entering his not guilty plea.
Investigators questioned Holloman in June 1988 and he said he had not seen Taylor in the weeks before her death.
After obtaining the DNA sample from Holloman in 2023, investigators used it to reportedly match scrapings underneath Taylor’s fingernails, a bloody sweatshirt from the crime scene and a cigarette.
At his arraignment on Sept. 20, Holloman pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder, officials said. He hid behind a doorway and court officer while entering his plea.
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He was ordered to be held without bail and his next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29. Before this murder charge, prosecutors said Holloman did not have any criminal record.
In a statement to WFXT, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, “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.”
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