Massachusetts man arrested in 36-year-old unsolved case after sidewalk spit links him to woman's murder

A 65-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Thursday in connection with the unsolved 1988 murder of a Boston woman, Boston police confirmed.

James Holloman was linked to the crime after DNA from his saliva found on a sidewalk outside his home last year matched DNA from the crime scene, Boston 25 News reported.

DNA from a possible suspect was found under Karen Taylor's fingernails, as well as on a bloody sweatshirt and a cigarette when she was found stabbed 15 times in her Roxbury home in May 1988.

Holloman's paycheck was also allegedly found at her home.

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“From what I understand, they took a DNA sample from the floor after he spit, and that's how they claim to have figured out the connection,” defense attorney Anthony Ellison told Boston 25.

Holloman was wanted on a warrant issued by Suffolk Superior Court for Taylor's murder when he was taken into custody by the Boston Police Department's Fugitive Unit.

Boston 25 reported that he pleaded not guilty in court on Friday.

On May 27, 1988, Taylor's 3-year-old daughter answered the phone when her grandmother called and told her her mother was sleeping and she couldn't wake her, the station reported, citing the Suffolk District Attorney's Office.

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Taylor's mother later found her body at home in a pool of blood.

Holloman pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court on Friday. (Mass.gov)

“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 District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, according to Boston 25.

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Holloman had previously told officials he had not seen Taylor in the weeks before her murder, but recently admitted to seeing her the day before her death, the station reported.