Conn. inmate seeks DNA testing with unusual twist: He wants authorities to prove victim’s ID

Conn. lifer seeks DNA testing _ on murder victim

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Twenty-five years after a Connecticut teenager’s disappearance, the man convicted of his murder is trying to win a new trial with DNA testing.

But there’s an unusual twist: Defendant Thomas Marra Jr. wants tests done on the remains to determine whether authorities actually found the victim.

DNA cases typically involve showing whether a defendant matches physical evidence from a crime scene. Kenneth Fox, Marra’s attorney, says the case is a rare appeal that involves using DNA to challenge the identity of the victim.

The victim, Alex Palmieri, was 15 in 1984. That’s when witnesses say Marra beat him with a baseball bat in Bridgeport. Marra is serving a 125-year prison sentence.

The Connecticut Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday about the DNA testing.