US man spits in front of his house, DNA comparison later leads to his arrest in 36-year-old murder case

A decades-old cold case has been solved with the arrest of a man accused of murdering a young mother in Boston. James Holloman was charged with the 1988 stabbing murder of Karen Taylor after DNA evidence linked him to the crime scene. People reported.

Although a check made out to Holloman was found next to Taylor's body, authorities were unable to conclusively link him to the murder until recently. A breakthrough came when Holloman's DNA was recovered after he spit on the sidewalk last year.

Investigators compared the DNA to samples they found under Taylor's fingernails, on a bloody sweatshirt and on a cigarette next to her body. The results confirmed a match, leading to Holloman's arrest.

Holloman, who has no criminal record, was taken into custody on September 19. His lawyer expressed skepticism about the DNA evidence, saying it may not be conclusive after so many years.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said CBS News that this case is an example of “outstanding investigative work by criminal investigators and prosecutors using modern criminological knowledge”.

He added: “Most importantly, it provides an opportunity for Karen Taylor's loved ones to see that after so many years of unanswered questions, someone is being held accountable for her death.”

Taylor was found dead in her apartment in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood on May 27, 1988 at the age of 25.

Her body was discovered after her mother called the apartment and Taylor's 3-year-old daughter answered and said her mother “was sleeping and she couldn't wake her,” according to a statement from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office obtained by WHDH.

The statement continued: “The mother went to Taylor's apartment at 37 Williams Street in Roxbury, but was unable to enter the building. She walked around the building and crawled through the window into her daughter's bedroom, where she found her lying face down in a pool of blood.”

An autopsy revealed that Taylor had suffered 15 stab wounds to the chest, head and neck.