Evesham, NJ man sentenced for killing lifelong friend and dog

🔴 Evesham man and his Cane Corso were killed

🔴 Lifelong friend convicted of first-degree murder

🔴 Killer's dad said his son and victim had a dispute over marijuana

EVESHAM — A 27-year-old township man will spend the next half of his life in state prison for killing his friend and his friend's dog during an attempted robbery.

Donovan Hollingsworth was sentenced to 34 years behind bars in Burlington County Superior Court on Friday. He must serve 30 years before he is eligible for parole.

On Feb. 5, 2022, Hollingsworth went to his friend Thomas Pierson's apartment in Evesham. Hollingsworth planned to rob Pierson and an altercation broke out, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

A neighbor at the Olympus Apartments heard what sounded like a dog attack and called the police.

Officers found Pierson's body. He had been stabbed to death. Blood stains were splattered across the apartment, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Cherry Hill Courier Post.

They also found Pierson's dead dog, Django, had been stabbed to death. The Cane Corso was located on a stairwell landing.

After the killings, Hollingsworth went to Virtua Hospital Voorhees for minor injuries. He was arrested at the emergency room.

A jury convicted Hollingsworth last September on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, third-degree animal cruelty, and two weapons offenses.

Dispute over marijuana

At some point during the robbery, Hollingsworth and Pierson began to argue. Officials did not say what the argument was about.

However, Hollingsworth's father called 911 the same morning to report his son and Pierson got into a dispute over getting marijuana, the Courier Post reported citing the criminal complaint.

The killer's father also said that Hollingsworth and his victim had been lifelong friends.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom