James Doran: New Jersey man beats mom to death after she tried to stop him from 'cutting' tattoo off his leg

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA: A man from New Jersey is accused of killing his own mother after they argued about him removing a tattoo from his leg. 

James Doran, 30, is facing charges of first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Lillian Doran, 65. Cops found the victim, Lilian dead in a house in Gloucester Township, New Jersey on March 2, 2024. 

Troopers in Pennsylvania arrested James Doran after they saw him driving recklessly in Bedford, which is about 220 miles away. When they arrested him, he was covered in blood and smelled of alcohol, Law&Crime reports. 

Police in Gloucester Township are investigating the murder and say that the car involved belonged to his mother.

Lillian Doran found dead at her home

According to Gloucester Township police, they received a 911 call reporting the death of Lillian Doran in a home on Fairmount Avenue in Blackwood.  Officers discovered her body on the bedroom floor with apparent blunt force trauma to the back of her head, as per official documents. 

There were no indications of forced entry. However, details regarding the tattoo or the reason behind the defendant's desire to remove it were not provided.

What did the witnesses report?

After finding the dead Lilian Doran, cops soon started their investigation with several family members near the victim’s home. 

Witnesses told cops, “The previous evening, the victim and James Doran had argued about James Doran cutting a tattoo off his leg and walking around the house with a baseball bat,” according to the complaint.

They added, “A witness reported hearing banging sounds and a garage door opening at about 4 am. Detectives noted that the victim’s vehicle was missing and James Doran was no longer at the residence.”

How did the Police find the accused James Doran?

Gloucester Township is near Philadelphia, but Pennsylvania troopers found James Doran in Bedford, which is about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh. State troopers were patrolling when they saw a speeding driver, later identified as James Doran. 

He ran away into the woods when they tried to stop him, and he was covered in blood and acting strangely. He wouldn't tell them his name and smelled like alcohol, so they took him to the hospital to get checked. 

Cops tried to contact the owner of the car in New Jersey but didn't say who it was. The police in Gloucester Township gave them a name to check if it matched the driver. They found out that the driver matched the name given by the Gloucester Township Police Department and was a suspect in a homicide that happened earlier that morning.

Pennsylvania troopers arrested Doran for speeding and trying to run away from them in his mother's car. They found a baseball bat in the trunk of his mother's car.