NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A Florida man was indicted on Thursday through forensic genetic genealogy for allegedly stabbing his uncle at his home in Queens nearly 15 years ago, according to prosecutors.
Anthony Scalici, 41, was indicted and arraigned on a charge of second-degree murder in the 2009 stabbing death of his 64-year- old uncle, Rosario Prestigiacomo, inside Prestigiacomo’s Ridgewood home, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced.
The case was the first in which a homicide suspect was identified and arrested using DNA from a discarded fork used by the defendant, retrieved in Florida in February, and matched to DNA found at the crime scene.
According to court documents, on Feb. 10, 2009, police received a disturbance report to Prestigiacomo’s home at 2031 Greene Ave. One of the responding officers entered through a first-story window and found Prestigiacomo lying face down in a pool of blood.
The victim had been stabbed 16 times in the face, neck, torso and extremities and suffered puncture wounds from a knife to his lung, esophagus, chest and lower abdomen, according to prosecutors.
Detectives collected blood swabs to try and determine a DNA profile that matched the victim and an additional unknown male DNA profile which suggested the attacker had been injured and was bleeding. That profile was entered into local, state, and national databases with no matches.
In March 2022, the Queens District Attorney’s Office sought assistance from a private laboratory and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to generate leads on the unknown suspect’s identity using forensic genetic genealogy.
In June, the laboratory was able to use advanced DNA testing and created a genealogical profile from the suspect’s blood left at the scene. Detectives were able to build a family tree to identify possible suspects using information from the databases.
In December 2023, they had a lead. Following an extensive investigation, Scalici was identified as the suspect.
In January and February, detectives conducted surveillance on Scalici to obtain a discarded DNA sample and later found a fork used by him. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner analyzed the fork and was able to produce a DNA profile which confirmed the match with the blood left at the scene by the suspect and DNA on the victim’s fingernails.
Scalici is the son of the victim’s ex-wife’s brother.
Scalici was arrested in Boynton Beach, Florida on May 14 and was brought to New York on May 29.
“I formed a Cold Case Unit to bring closure to grieving families and seek justice on behalf of victims,” 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. Defendants should not be able to evade justice no matter how much time has passed.”
Scalici will return to court on July 8 and faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.