PORTLAND — The gun that was used in the fatal shooting of Serge Mulongo last year has been linked to the shooting of a woman who died from a blood clot that was caused by the wound.
Darien Richardson, 25, was shot by an intruder in her apartment in Portland on Jan. 8, 2010. She recovered initially, but died in Miami the next month.
Deputy Attorney General William Stokes confirmed Tuesday that the gun from the killing of Mulongo has been linked to Richardson’s case. He would not provide further details.
The gun’s role in the crimes emerged Tuesday in discussions between the judge and attorneys in the murder trial of Daudoit Butsitsi, who is accused of shooting Mulongo with the semiautomatic .45-caliber pistol on Feb. 10, 2010.
Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese said the other crime – an unsolved homicide – occurred in the month before Mulongo’s death.
Butsitsi has refused to name some of the people he has referred to in his testimony.
He said he got the gun from a friend’s house on the day of the Mulongo shooting but would not identify the friend. Butsitsi said he was afraid of Mulongo so he brought the gun to protect himself as he gathered his belongings from their apartment.
Butsitsi said he had latex gloves in the glove compartment of his car and used them when he cleaned his home or car. He said he wore them on the night of the shooting because he didn’t want his fingerprints or DNA on the gun, which he said he planned to return.
Butsitsi left the gun under a bush on Park Avenue, where police found it the day after the shooting.
Justice Andrew Horton decided that Butsitsi had to answer questions about how he got the gun. Horton asked Butsitsi if he would.
“No, sir,” Butsitsi said. “I don’t want to put other people’s lives in danger.”
Horton said Butsitsi will face a separate contempt-of-court proceeding after his murder trial. If he is found in contempt, he could be imprisoned until he answers, or could be subject to punishment. In the latter case, he would have the right to a jury trial.
Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at: akim@pressherald.com
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