PORTLAND – DNA found on a latex glove that allegedly was used in a shooting in Parkside last year matched that of the defendant, a state police analyst testified Friday in the murder trial of Daudoit Butsitsi.

Butsitsi, 25, is on trial in Cumberland County Superior Court in the killing of his onetime friend and roommate, 24-year-old Serge Mulongo.

An eyewitness to the shooting testified earlier this week that he saw Butsitsi take off latex gloves and drop them in a parking lot on Park Avenue soon after Mulongo was killed, on the night of Feb. 10, 2010.

The possibility that the DNA on the glove was not from Butsitsi is less than 1 in 300 billion, said Christine Waterhouse, the DNA analyst at the Maine State Police crime lab. Three hundred billion is more than 40 times the estimated population of the planet.

Butsitsi’s DNA was not found on the gun, a semi-automatic .45-caliber pistol. The parts of the gun that were swabbed for DNA testing revealed that a number of people had handled it, but Butsitsi’s DNA was not in the mix, according to Waterhouse.

The DNA of another man in the case, Moses Okot, was consistent — rather than a match — with DNA found on various parts of the gun, Waterhouse said.

Okot, 23, pleaded guilty to felony murder — a lesser offense than murder — in the case last week. Okot, who was accused of driving the getaway car, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but three years suspended.

On the night of the shooting, Butsitsi put the gun under a bush on Park Avenue and dropped the gloves in the parking lot, according to testimony Thursday by Emmanuel William, who said he was behind Mulongo when Butsitsi started shooting.

After speaking to William, police found the gun and the gloves, according to Gary Thorpe, a retired Portland police detective who testified earlier in the trial.

Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea has said the case is about revenge. Witnesses have testified about fights between Mulongo and Butsitsi, including two on the day of the shooting.

Anthony Sineni, Butsitsi’s court-appointed lawyer, said in his opening statement that jurors must consider self-defense. Butsitsi knew that Mulongo had guns and knives, Sineni said. Butsitsi is expected to testify next week.

No witnesses have testified that Mulongo had guns. So far, all of the witnesses have been the prosecution’s.

Portland police officer John Halpin said Friday that no guns were found on the victim’s body. Mulongo was found with a glass pipe in his left hand and leafy material — believed to be marijuana —  on his chest, Halpin said.

Mulongo was carrying a folding knife with a blade about three inches long in a pants pocket and a pair of shears in an inside jacket pocket, Halpin said.

The shears had blades about 2 inches long, and wire was wrapped around the blades and handle, keeping them closed, he said. Halpin said the purpose of the shears wasn’t clear.

 

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at:

akim@pressherald.com

 

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