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

Although a check made out to Holloman was found near Taylor's body, authorities had been unable to definitively connect him to the murder until recently. A breakthrough came when Holloman's DNA was collected after he spat on the sidewalk last year.

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

Holloman, who has no prior criminal record, was taken into custody on September 19. His attorney has expressed scepticism about the DNA evidence, suggesting that it might not be conclusive after so many years.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden told CBS News that this case exemplifies "superb investigative work by detectives and prosecutors utilizing modern criminological science." 

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

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

Her body was discovered after her mother called the apartment, and Taylor's 3-year-old daughter answered, saying her mom "was sleeping and she couldn't wake her up," according to a statement from the Suffolk County District Attorney's office, reported by WHDH.

The statement further explained, "The mother went to Taylor's apartment at 37 Williams Street in Roxbury but couldn't access the building. She went around to the back and crawled through the window of her daughter's bedroom, where she found her lying face down in a pool of blood."

An autopsy revealed that Taylor had been stabbed 15 times in her chest, head, and neck.