Man's DNA tied to 1988 murder after spitting on sidewalk, prosecutors say

BOSTON - A man who spit on the sidewalk outside of his home in Boston is now charged with an unsolved 35-year-old murder, prosecutors said Friday.

Karen Taylor murder

James Holloman, 65, of Dorchester, was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in Suffolk Superior Court. Holloman tried to hide from cameras as a prosecutor revealed new details in the May 27, 1988 murder of 25-year-old Karen Taylor in Roxbury.

Taylor's mother called her daughter's home that day and Taylor's 3-year-old daughter answered the phone, saying her mother was sleeping and she couldn't wake her up. Taylor had been stabbed 15 times.

DNA from spit

Boston Police found the DNA of a man under her fingernails, but didn't get a match until last year. That's when, according to prosecutor Lynn Feigenbaum, Holloman spit on the sidewalk outside of his home in Dorchester and they were able to link his DNA to the fingernails and a cigarette and sweatshirt found at the crime scene.

He was arrested by Boston Police Thursday afternoon.

After the arraignment, Holloman's attorney told reporters he doubts his client's DNA could be connected to the murder all these years later. His next hearing is scheduled for October 29.

"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," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.