Investigators used DNA from a fork to crack a 15-year-old Queens cold case this week – busting a 41-year-old man who brutally stabbed his uncle to death in Queens, cops and law enforcement sources told The Post.
Anthony Scalici, 41, who was living in Boynton Beach, Florida, was extradited to the Big Apple Thursday evening and charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 10, 2009 slaying of Rosario Prestigiacomo, 64, inside of a home on Greene Avenue near Grandview Avenue in Ridgewood, cops said.
The younger man savagely stabbed the older victim 16 times, according to the Queens DA’s office – and authorities at the time said Prestigiacomo was also beaten with a shovel.
Scalici, the son of Prestigiacomo’s ex-wife’s brother, was connected to the case through DNA from a fork he used while at a restaurant in the Sunshine State, sources told The Post.
The case also marks the first time in the Big Apple that a homicide suspect was identified and arrested through the use of public genealogy databases, according to the Queens DA’s Office.
Shortly after the crime, first-responders found Prestigiacomo lying face-down in a hallway, in a pool of blood, with blood spatter also visible on the walls.
Prestigiacomo was knifed in the face, neck, torso and extremities, and the brutal attack left him with puncture wounds to his lung, esophagus, chest and lower stomach, prosecutors said.
The older man had also suffered blunt force injuries to his head, torso and extremities, the DA’s office said.
The motive for the slaying remains unclear.
The early stages of the investigation produced few leads.
Although NYPD detectives had collected several blood swabs – including both DNA for the victim and a DNA profile for a male believed to be the attacker – a search for that profile on local, state and national databases came up empty, the DA’s office said.
It wasn’t until March of 2022 that investigators turned to the newly developed forensic genetic genealogy for leads – and sought help from the private laboratory Orthram Inc., as well as the US Department of Homeland Security.
Three months later, Othram used advanced DNA testing to create a comprehensive genealogical profile of the suspect, based on his blood left at the scene – which was then uploaded to public databases, the DA’s office said.
Using that information, Linda Doyle, of the NYPD’s Forensic Investigations Division, built a family tree to identify possible suspects, or relatives of a suspect.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office, alongside the NYPD’s Cold Case Squad, took over the investigation last December and ultimately identified Scalici as the suspect.
Then, in February, the cold case detectives conducted surveillance on Scalici – joined by cops in Boynton Beach.
That’s when the Florida detectives managed to snag a fork he’d used at a restaurant — which wound up matching the DNA profile, as well as DNA found under the victim’s fingernails, the sources said.
Scalici was nabbed in Florida May 14 by local cops, US Marshals and the NYPD’s Regional Fugitive Task Force.
During his Thursday arraignment before Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder, Scalici – who was escorted into the courtroom wearing a gray sweatshirt and long black nylon shorts – was ordered held without bail.
He could spend up to 25 years behind bars if convicted.
“I formed a Cold Case Unit to bring closure to grieving families and seek justice on behalf of victims,” Queens DA Melinda Katz said in a statement. “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.”
