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Donovan G. Hollingsworth and the victim, Thomas Pierson III, got into a fight at a residence in the Olympus Apartments on Baker Boulevard around 9:15 a.m., Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.
Hollingsworth stabbed Pierson and the dog Django, a King Corso, then fled, according to Coffina. Police found Pierson dead in the apartment and Django dead on a stairwell landing.
Hollingsworth was taken into custody at the Emergency Department at the Virtua Voorhees Hospital, where he showed up for treatment of minor injuries from the altercation, about three hours after the incident, according to Coffina.
He was charged with Murder (First Degree) and two counts of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree and Fourth Degree).
Potential charges related to Django’s death await further investigation into the incident. An autopsy on Pierson is expected to be performed by the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday.
Pierson appeared to love animals and posted about his several dogs on Facebook often. He brought Django into the pack in September 2020, introducing him as his new "guard dog."
Hollingsworth was being held in the Burlington County Jail, pending a detention hearing.
The investigation is ongoing, and being handled by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Evesham Township Police Department.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113 or the Evesham Police Department’s confidential tip line at 609-983-4699, or send an email to Facebook@eveshampd.org or tips@co.burlington.nj.us.
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