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EVESHAM, N.J. (TCD) — A 27-year-old man will spend more than three decades behind bars for killing his friend and the victim’s dog in 2022.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw announced Tuesday, Feb. 13, that a judge sentenced Donovan Hollingsworth to 34 years in state prison in connection with the stabbing death of his friend Thomas Pierson III, 26, as well as his dog, a cane corso named Django.
A jury convicted Hollingsworth in August 2023 of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, cruelty to animals, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Hollingsworth was given 30 years without parole eligibility for the murder charge and four years for fatally stabbing the dog.
On Feb. 5, 2022, Evesham Township Police officers responded to the Olympus Apartments on Baker Boulevard in reference to a possible dog attack. At the scene, police found Pierson dead with multiple stab wounds. Law enforcement officials also reportedly found Django deceased with apparent stab wounds on a stairwell landing.
Investigators determined Hollingsworth went to his friend’s home to rob him when they got into a fight. During the altercation, Hollingsworth stabbed Pierson and Django before fleeing the scene.
Police later took Hollingsworth into custody at a hospital, where he underwent medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
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