Accused Murderer’s DNA Found In Slain West Hartford Bank Teller’s Car

HARTFORD -- DNA from accused murderer Carl "Hood" Small was found in the SUV of slain bank teller Christopher Donato, a forensic scientist testified Monday.

Nicholas Yang, a forensic science examiner at the state police crime lab, said Small is a contributor to the DNA found in blood on the SUV's steering wheel and driver's side door. The 2000 Chevy Blazer was among the things missing when Donato, 30, was found fatally stabbed in his city apartment near the West Hartford line on June 18, 2012. It later was found parked near a Vine Street apartment in the city's North End where Small, of Bloomfield, used to stay.

Monday was the fourth day of testimony in Superior Court. The trial is expected to wrap up this week.

Yang was one of a long line of forensic scientists to testify about evidence found in Donato's apartment, his SUV and in the Vine Street apartment. He testified that Small, 34, cannot be eliminated as a possible contributor to DNA found on the handle of a mop that police said was used in an attempt to clean up the bloody scene.

But Yang was unable to conclude that Small's DNA was in several other places, such as on the knife police believe is the murder weapon.

He also could not link Small to padlocks found next to Donato's body. According to testimony, Donato had used the locks to secure his guns, which police said were legally registered.

When prosecutor Vicki Melchiorre projected on a screen a picture of the locks which lay next to Donato's bloody face Donato's family members and friends collectively flinched. Some averted their eyes. About 10 of his supporters have been attending the trial each day; no one has attended on behalf of Small.

Besides the knife and SUV, three guns and at least one laptop computer were missing from Donato's Prospect Street apartment. The knife and a computer were among items that were recovered.

A 13-year-old boy from 48 Vine St. testified last week that he found the knife under a cable box in a closet next to a bathroom in his home. The boy put it under his bed so he could give it to his uncle, he said.

That's where police found the knife, which tested positive for the presence of blood, according to the warrant for Small's arrest.

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Accused Murderer's DNA Found In Slain West Hartford Bank Teller's Car