Evesham, NJ man found guilty of stabbing friend, dog during fight

🚨 An Evesham man and his dog Django were stabbed in their apartment in Feb. 2022

🚨 A jury found Donovan G. Hollingsworth guilty of first-degree murder

🚨 Hollingsworth's father said they were lifelong friends

EVESHAM — It took a Burlington County jury just over an hour to find a man guilty of stabbing a friend and dog to death during an attempted robbery in 2022.

Donovan G. Hollingsworth, 26, went to the home of friend Thomas Pierson III, 26, at the Olympus Apartments on Baker Boulevard on Feb. 5. 2022 with the intention of robbing him, according to Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw. After a fight, Hollingworth stabbed Pierson and his Cane Corso dog named Django and left the apartment.

Police took Hollingworth into custody at Virtua Voorhees Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

Lifelong friends

The jury found Hollingworth guilty of first-degree murder and robbery, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and cruelty to animals and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. Hollingworth will be sentenced on Oct. 27.

Bradshaw did not disclose what prompted the argument. Hollingsworth's father told the Cherry Hill Courier Post that they argued about "obtaining marijuana" and were lifelong friends.

According to his obituary, Pierson worked in the solar industry and wrote a book on the topic, "In New Jersey the Sun Works Great.” He also worked on several mayoral campaigns in Evesham and Medford.

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