No Prints Found on Cosby Case Gun, Report Says

Forensic tests on the .38-caliber revolver linked by authorities to the murder of Ennis Cosby did not reveal any identifiable fingerprints, according to a Los Angeles Police Department report obtained Thursday.

The significance of the LAPD’s March 10 finding is unclear because it is not known if other tests link the gun to murder suspect Mikail “Michael” Markhasev, 18.

Moreover, even if other tests do not show a fingerprint match, authorities are likely to argue that that fact is unimportant because the revolver was not recovered for almost two months after Cosby’s murder and sat in an open area during a period of winter rains and other inclement weather.

Still, Markhasev’s attorneys said Thursday that the LAPD’s report raised new questions about the strength of the district attorney’s case against Markhasev, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that could bring him the death penalty if he is convicted.

The Ukrainian immigrant was arrested March 12 by Los Angeles police and charged with the murder of Cosby during what police described as a bungled robbery. Cosby, the 27-year-old son of entertainer Bill Cosby, was found dead Jan. 16 from a single gunshot wound to the head, his body lying alongside his Mercedes-Benz on a sidestreet near Mulholland Drive, just off the San Diego Freeway.

Shortly after his killing, police released a composite sketch of a man believed to be Cosby’s killer. That sketch, police said, was based on interviews with a woman who told police Cosby called her when his car got a flat tire.

But last week, Markhasev’s defense team said that the witness not only failed to identify Markhasev in a police lineup but also ruled him out as the man she saw the night of the murder.

Although the district attorney’s office refused to confirm or deny that claim, it did take the unusual step of seeking a grand jury indictment of Markhasev even though prosecutors already had filed a criminal complaint. The indictment effectively bypassed a preliminary hearing for Markhasev, allowing the case to move directly to a trial, which could begin in as little as 60 days.

The LAPD report on the gun concludes that “no prints of value [were] observed” on the weapon, which was found in early March after the LAPD received a tip from the National Enquirer. The gun, according to the report, had one casing and four live rounds in it.

Police have said that ballistics tests on the weapon confirmed that it was the gun used in Cosby’s slaying.

Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the district attorney, said late Thursday that there would be no comment on any evidence against Markhasev or the grand jury proceedings.

“We will not be discussing the evidence in this case outside of the courtroom, which is the proper forum,” she said.

But Markhasev’s attorneys said Thursday that the LAPD report on the apparent murder weapon continues to raise questions about the strength of the case.

Co-counsel Darren T. Kavinoky added that even if defense attorneys have “no idea what else is coming” in the way of evidence from the prosecution, the report on the gun--like last week’s disclosure about the police lineup--is significant.

“They both reveal the failure of the prosecution to put Mr. Markhasev at the scene” of Cosby’s murder, he said.