Prosecutor: Defendant's DNA linked to 1988 Boston murder after he spat on sidewalk

BOSTON – A man who spat on the sidewalk outside his Boston home is now charged with an unsolved murder that stretches back 35 years, prosecutors said Friday.

Murder of Karen Taylor

James Holloman, 65, of Dorchester, was remanded without bail after pleading not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court. Holloman tried to hide from the cameras as a prosecutor revealed new details about 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 three-year-old daughter answered the phone and said her mother was sleeping and she couldn't wake her. Taylor had been stabbed 15 times.

DNA from saliva

Boston police found a man's DNA under her fingernails, but weren't able to find a match until last year. That year, prosecutor Lynn Feigenbaum said, Holloman spat on the sidewalk outside his Dorchester home and they were able to link his DNA to fingernails, a cigarette and a sweatshirt found at the crime scene.

He was arrested by Boston police on Thursday afternoon.

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

“This is an example of the outstanding investigative work of detectives and prosecutors using modern forensic science, but most importantly, it is an opportunity for Karen Taylor's family to see someone answer for her death after so many years of unanswered questions,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.