A Queens man who brutally stabbed his lover to death and then sought to burn down the victim’s Manhattan apartment in a frenzied arson attack was sentenced to 39 years in prison Wednesday.
The term was handed down to Aljo Mrkulic, 37, by state Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber following his conviction at trial in December on second-degree murder and arson charges for the killing of 30-year-old Christopher Rodriguez on May 16, 2020.
Mrkulic and Rodriguez were old school friends and became lovers when Rodriguez periodically provided Mrkulic a place to stay in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a night out, hours after the two men arrived back at Rodriguez’s place in the Acacia Gardens housing development, on E. 120th St. near First Ave. in Manhattan, Mrkulic savagely attacked Rodriguez, jurors heard at the trial.
He stabbed and slashed Rodriguez more than 120 times and inflicted disfiguring injuries, breaking the victim’s skull, evidence at the trial showed.
Man Stabbed To Death In Manhattan
Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News A man was taken into custody after he attacked officers responding to a fire in an apartment at 409 East 120th Street in Manhattan.
Mrkulic then set Rodriguez’s fire ablaze, lighting fires in the kitchen and bedroom before trying to disable the building’s fire alarms, endangering hundreds of tenants in the 12-story apartment complex.
He then returned to the gravely injured Rodriguez, dragged his body into the hallway, and continued assaulting him, resulting in the young man’s death, according to authorities.
After cops responded to the scene, Mrkulic continued his rampage, attacking and biting NYPD Officer Rutger Rivera. He also grabbed the officer’s taser, tasing him in the head and inflicting nerve damage.
An officer who tried to intervene was then bitten by Mrkulic, resulting in permanent scarring on her hands. Several other responding officers sustained injuries trying to apprehend Mrkulic, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
“Aljo Mrkulic brutally murdered Christopher Rodriguez, who kindly opened his home to him during a time of need during a vulnerable moment for our city,” DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement Wednesday.
“Mrkulic repaid that generosity with a depraved act of violence, devastating Mr. Rodriguez’s family and loved ones,” Bragg said. “In the aftermath of the murder, Mrkulic escalated violence by igniting a fire that endangered countless residents and viciously attacking police officers, who continue to suffer from their significant injuries.”
