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Police tie murder suspect to State

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Also by Cara Harshman:

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by Cara Harshman

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Madison Police Department released new information Monday in the continuing investigation of the January murder of a prominent south side resident.

Forensic tests on the bloody knife found in Joel Marino’s home show the male DNA found on the knife matches the DNA found on the white stocking cap and Puma backpack found near the crime scene, a report from MPD said.

According to the report, the DNA evidence from the Wisconsin State Crime Lab leads detectives to believe the DNA belongs to Marino’s killer.

Police said the backpack was bought from a store on State Street the afternoon of Jan 25. The suspect is believed to be the one who bought the backpack, the report said.

On the day of the murder, Jan. 28, police believe Marino was home all morning and was stabbed in his home at 714 W. Shore Drive between 1 and 1:20 p.m.

The suspect likely fled Marino’s home, running southbound on West Shore Drive when he threw his cap and backpack on the ground, police said.

Police believe the “OXO” brand paring knife with a 4-inch blade found in Marino’s home was the murder weapon.

The perpetrator, who police said may live in or associate with the State Street area, is described as a white, thinly built male in his 20s between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall. He was last seen near the intersection of South Park and Parr streets.

Ald. Julia Kerr, District 13, said MPD is working extremely hard on solving this case.

“The news is certainly encouraging, and I think it shows the Madison police are really chipping away at this,” she added. “It really needs to be solved, and they are certainly working on it. We just have to hope everything will come out in the end.”

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