QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – A Florida man has been arrested after a discarded fork linked him to the killing of his uncle in Queens 15 years ago, District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Thursday.
Anthony Scalici, 41, reportedly stabbed his 64-year-old uncle, Rosario Prestigiacomo, inside his Ridgewood home in 2009, authorities said.
For 15 years, Scalici had been living in Boynton Beach, Fla. On May 14, authorities apprehended him.
According to the charges, in February 2009, police were called to Prestigiacomo 's home after a neighbor reported hearing a disturbance. Police discovered the victim in a pool of blood, lying face down. The victim had been stabbed 16 times to his face, neck, torso, lungs, and esophagus. He also had blunt force injuries to his head, torso, and extremities, records show.
Officials said the cold case was solved using genetic DNA testing and the city's public genealogy databases.
"I formed a Cold Case Unit to bring closure to grieving families and seek justice on behalf of victims," District Attorney Katz said. "This case is an example of the perseverance and determination of the investigators on this and every cold case and highlights the successful partnership formed between my office and the NYPD Cold Case Squad."
Scalici was arrested and extradited to New York City.
Evidence Logging:
According to documents at the time of evidence logging, NYPD crime scene detectives collected several blood swabs from the location. Swabs from the scene indicated not only a DNA profile from the victim but also an additional unknown male, suggesting the attacker had been injured and was bleeding at the scene.
The suspect's DNA profile was entered into local, state, and national databases with negative results.
In 2022, officials used a private lab to produce a genealogical profile from the suspect's blood. A family tree was created to identify possible suspects or relatives of the suspect.
The case was turned over to the Cold Case Squad in December 2023. On various dates in January and February 2024, law enforcement conducted surveillance on Scalici and attempted to obtain a discarded DNA sample. Officials were able to get a DNA sample from a fork. The DNA sample matched blood evidence left at the scene, linking Scalici to the crime.
Scalici was charged with second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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