A Burlington County man has been sentenced to 34 years in prison for the deaths of his friend and his friend's dog, officials announced.
27-year-old Donovan Hollingsworth, of Evesham, will serve 30 years in prison for killing Thomas Pierson III and then another four years for killing Pierson's dog, a judge ruled on Friday.
Hollingsworth was found guilty by a jury of murder, robbery, possession of a weapon, cruelty of an animal and other charges.
Back on Feb. 5, 2022, around 9:15 a.m. officers were called to the Olympus Apartments on Baker Boulevard in Evesham Township to a report of a dog attacking a resident, officials said.
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Once the officers from the Evesham Township Police Department arrived on the scene, they found Pierson dead inside his home with multiple stab wounds.
Officers also found Pierson's dog, a Cane Corso named "Django," dead on a stairwell landing, also with multiple stab wounds.
During the investigation, officials discovered that Hollingsworth had gone to see Pierson to rob him. This was when a fight broke out and Hollingsworth stabbed Pierson and the dog.
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Hollingsworth then ran from the scene and went to a nearby hospital where police were able to arrest him.
The investigation was done by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the Evesham Township Police Department.
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