A 37-year-old Queens man has been sentenced to 39 years to life in prison for killing his partner, setting his apartment on fire, and attacking police officers who responded to the chaotic crime scene nearly six years ago.
In May of 2020, Gay City News reported that the NYPD responded to a residential fire at unit 9G at the Acacia Gardens affordable housing development in Harlem, where 30-year-old Christopher Rodriguez lived. Rodriguez’s partner, Aljo Mrkulic, was staying at the apartment after experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. (At the time, the NYPD told Gay City News Mrkulic’s address was 14-48 31 Road in Queens).
According to the Office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Mrkulic and Rodriguez had returned to the Harlem apartment after an evening out on May 15, 2020. Hours later, early in the morning on May 16, Mrkulic stabbed Rodriguez, leaving more than 120 slash and stab wounds, before setting the apartment on fire in the kitchen and the bedroom.
Mrkulic proceeded to exit the apartment and tried to disable the fire alarm before eventually returning at 4:10 a.m. to drag Rodriguez out of the unit. By then, according to prosecutors, Rodriguez was unresponsive, and Mrkulic again stabbed him multiple times, killing him.
At 4:21 a.m., as cops responded to the scene, Mrkulic punched Police Officer Rutger Rivera and bit the cop’s hands before grabbing his taser and tasing him, leaving nerve damage. Mrkulic then punched Police Officer Briggitte Martinez, tried to grab her gun, and bit her hands. Finally, he bit Police Officer Jorge Gavilano, who also stepped in, before several officers arrested him.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, was found dead in the stairwell with burns to his legs, skull fractures, and other injuries.
Mrkulic was convicted in December of one count each of second-degree murder and second-degree arson, as well as three counts of second-degree assault. As Gay City News reported in 2020, Mrkulic was initially charged with first-degree murder.
“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,” Bragg said in a written statement. “Mrkulic repaid that generosity with a depraved act of violence, devastating Mr. Rodriguez’s family and loved ones. 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. My thoughts remain with Mr. Rodriguez’s family and the brave NYPD officers, and I hope they feel justice knowing the defendant has been held accountable.”
The fire ultimately required hundreds of tenants to evacuate the building, located at 409 E. 120th St.
