The handle of the knife used to stab a man to death in Park Slope last year held the DNA of both the deceased and his attacker, forensics experts told a Brooklyn jury yesterday.

Rebecca Mikulasovich, an expert in forensic biology with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner testified in the murder trial of 30-year-old Antonio Bruno of Bushwick. She described the process by which her team of forensics scientists tested samples swabbed from the knife. A swab of the handle taken by the NYPD at the scene of the crime contained the DNA of both Bruno and William Rosario, the deceased.

A second swab, taken after Mikulasovich’s team received the knife, was inconclusive, she said.
“The NYPD’s swab tested negative for blood, but positive for other biological material, which could be tissue or skin cells from a hand,” she said. “William Rosario and Antonio Bruno contributed to a mixture of DNA on the handle.”

Bruno faces charges of second degree murder, first degree manslaughter, and fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon, all related to the stabbing death of Rosario on November 12 last year. According to court files, the incident occurred during a heated argument between the two men in front of 298 12th St. in Bushwick. Rosario was 26 when he died.

In morning session one other forensic expert from Mikulasovich’s team who had inspected the knife confirmed that DNA of both men was on it.

Forensic expert Melissa Smith, , said clothing worn by the men that was inspected at the scene came up with inconclusive results, except for Rosario’s jacket, which was stained with his own blood.

The defense does not deny that Bruno stabbed Rosario, but the specific circumstances surrounding the stabbing is at issue in the case.

The prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Samantha Magnani, has spent the lengthy trial, which has lasted nearly a year attempting to convince the jury that Bruno was the aggressor.

According to documents outlining prosecution’s version of events, Rosario was on his way home from a bowling alley with two of his children and some friends when he encountered Bruno, who got into an argument then threatened and attacked Rosario with the knife. Rosario’s family has corroborated these versions of events.

Ivan Vogel, Bruno’s defense attorney, said he didn’t think the DNA evidence presented yesterday helped the prosecution’s case.

“DNA evidence is all about whodunit,” he said. “We’re not denying the stabbing of a person, but it was done in self-defense. If he didn’t defend himself, he would have ended up dead.”

Vogel said there is evidence that Rosario and his friends were armed on the night in question.

“They were looking to cause serious injury to my client,,” he said, adding added that Rosario had escalated the initial argument, that his client tried backing away from Rosario and his friends, and that Rosario had both alcohol and angel dust in his system when he died.

He said that the two men did not know each other prior to the incident.

Vogel, whose short defense lasted only an afternoon called only one witness to bolster his version of the incident, Detective Alfredo Hidalgo of the NYPD’s 72nd precinct.

Hidalgo testified that while he was investigating the case, he interviewed an eyewitness named Ben Smith, who said that Rosario and two friends had bottles in heir hands. Vogel said that he will argued that these bottles were used as aggressive weapons.

Both sides of the trial will give their summations today.