Prosecutors attempted to link Dequan McKethan to shooting victim Darius Bishop through ballistic and DNA evidence and phone records Monday, according to testimony in New London Superior Court from examiners from the state forensic laboratory and a Verizon employee.

McKethan, 37, of Norwich, is accused of murdering Bishop, 28, of Norwich, at the Charles Long Sports Complex in Bozrah on Sept. 25, 2012. He has pleaded not guilty and opted for a jury trial in New London Superior Court.

Lawrence J. Tytla and David J. Smith, who are prosecuting the case with assistance from Inspector Rhett D'Amico, focused on forensics on the fifth day of the trial.  

Jill Therriault, supervisor of the firearms/toolmark section at the state forensic laboratory, testified that a spent shell casing found next to Bishop’s body came from a .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol found two days later under the driver's seat of McKethan's car. 

Therriault said she examined the rifling on the Beretta Model 21A and test-fired the gun using the same brand of cartridge as the spent shell casing. The inside of the gun’s barrel had six “lands and grooves” rifling impressions, as did the shell casing, she testified. The microscopic pattern on the spent casing from the crime scene and the test bullets were the same, she said.

Therriault was unable to conclude that a bullet extracted from the victim’s brain during an autopsy had come from the pistol in evidence, because, she said, the projectile was damaged. It appeared to have the same number of lands and grooves compared to the test-fired bullets, but “the most I could say was that it could have been fired from that gun,” she testied. “It was too damaged.”

Defense attorney John T. Walkley emphasized the inconclusive result during his cross-examination and asked Therriault whether she agreed that there were “possibly hundreds” of pistols that have the same rifling. She said yes.

Dr. Dahont Sun, manager of the forensic lab's DNA section, testified that a mixture of DNA from two more people, including McKethan, was found on the trigger and magazine of the Beretta pistol. McKethan's DNA was not found on the gun's grip and slide, which also contained a mixed DNA profile. DNA from Duryell "Smoove" Barham, whose name has been mentioned in connection with the case, was not found on the gun, according to Sun.

The defense elicited testimony from Sun indicating that McKethan's DNA was not present on Bishop's driver's license, which police said Bishop was holding in his left hand when they found his body, and Bishop's size 12 Jordan Flight hightop sneakers, which were found next to his body.

Forensic examiner Joseph Boytek said the white powder police found in a plastic bag in the pocket of McKethan's jeans after the traffic stop in Norwich tested positive for cocaine. 

Cherylene Paddock, an employee of Verizon, testified that McKethan and Bishop exchanged six cellphone calls in the hours before Bishop's death.

The trial resumes Tuesday.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN