Remembering Star Hollingsworth

 

Five Months Of Torture and Abuse

Although Star Hollingsworth was only 15 months old, she fully understood the meaning of pain. In the five months James Doan, Star’s mother’s boyfriend, lived with her, he regularly sexually abused, beat and burned little Star. In August 1993, Star went to visit her grandmother. After noticing Star had been severely burned on her feet and that she and had numerous injuries, including a large bruise on the side of her jaw, Star’s grandmother begged Star’s mother to seek medical attention. Star’s mother did nothing, claiming she was “frightened.” She claimed the bruise happened while Doan was watching Star and she fell off a chair. A month later, Star would be dead.

A Horrific Murder

On the evening of September 29th, 1993, James Doan drove Star’s mother to work. Star’s mother was a bartender and worked nights while Doan babysat Star and her seven-year-old sister. On the way home, Star started crying. As the crying continued, Doan grew angry. After he arrived home, an angry Doan violently pulled Star from the car and flung her over his shoulder, snapping her head backwards. Star became pale and started to vomit and shake. Doan did nothing to help her. He put her in her crib and left the room. When Doan went back to check on Star, she was crying and had vomited in her crib. While Doan was trying to clean the vomit out of Star’s hair, she continued to cry. According to Doan, he got a cup of scalding hot water and threw it in Star’s face. When she did not stop crying, Doan delivered a karate chop to Star’s stomach. Doan stated it was a “hard chop, probably too hard for Star.” Doan left the room, leaving a suffering Star in her crib. When Star’s mother arrived home, Doan told her Star had been ill that evening, was vomiting and had burned herself in the bathtub. When Star’s mother went to check on her, Star was dead in her crib.

Paramedics arrived on the scene along with fire department personnel. After seeing the second degree burn on Star’s face, they immediately suspected child abuse. Cincinnati, Ohio Police brought Doan in for questioning. He gave various stories before he finally admitted that he could have done something that could have hurt her. Doan admitted to shaking Star both before and after she was burned because her crying was getting on his nerves. He also admitted delivering the karate chop and snapping her neck back. Doan was arrested and charged with the murder of Star Hollingsworth.

Child Murderer Gets Life

Deputy coroner Dr. Gerber’s autopsy report reflected much more abuse. He found numerous injuries to Star Hollingsworth, including bruises, contusions, injuries to her rectum and vagina, skull fracture, fractured vertebrae, injuries to the spleen, and a torn lower colon that let air escape into the abdomen. There was blood in Star’s abdomen. Dr. Gerber also found that the burn injury resembled an “immersion” injury, where Star had been dipped in scalding water with temperatures of 120-130 degrees. As there were no “splatters” or unevenness, the burn could not have occurred from thrown water as Doan claimed. The cause of death was “multiple bodily injury.”

A jury of three men and nine women heard Doan’s case. Dr. Anthony Pohlgerrs, a physician who saw Star at the hospital, testified. He said the burn injury had to be caused by someone holding an object to Star’s face for about 30 seconds (a wet towel had been found at the scene). He also stated the injuries to the vagina and rectum were not accidental and were consistent with sexual abuse injuries. Star also had several older wounds that indicated endless suffering. She had old scars on her leg, and the skin on her feet was peeling from older injuries. Throughout the trial, even when horrific pictures of Star’s battered body were shown, Doan showed absolutely no emotion or remorse.

It took the jury 25 minutes to find Doan guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. Doan was also found guilty of felonious child endangering and received an additional five to 15 years. The sentences were to run consecutively (back to back). At sentencing, Judge Norbet Nadel stated that Doan “was not only a child abuser and a killer, but also a coward.” He said no sentence is severe enough for Doan. Once again, Doan showed no emotion and no remorse. Star’s mother was also convicted in Star’s death for failing to protect her. She served 18 months in prison and is now free.

Although Doan was not convicted of sexually assaulting Star, on November 27, 2007, the Hamilton, Ohio County Court of Common Pleas found enough evidence to adjudicate Doan a sexual predator, the most dangerous of all sex offender classifications. Doan appealed this ruling and, on October 15, 2008, the First District Court of Appeals affirmed the decision to label Doan a sexual predator.