By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Procuder
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — A medical examiner testifying on behalf of a career criminal charged with the 2008 murder of his girlfriend said it was technically possible that the victim had killed herself.
Accused killer Robert Camarano, 62, had claimed his live-in girlfriend at his Chelsea apartment, Michele Hyams, had stabbed herself to death.
Camarano, who has been serving as his own attorney, pressed the $200-per-hour expert he hired to testify, Dr. Mark Taff, to agree Hyams could have taken her own life by stabbing herself in the back of the thigh — the wound that led to her death.
Taff said it would be unusual but admitted he had seen stranger.
"The other possibility is that maybe this was a self-inflicted act where she stabbed herself while she was under the influence," Taff said on the stand.
The hired expert deemed the manner of death "undetermined" based on the autopsy report, which showed Hyams had five to six drinks and traces of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications in her system.
Hyams was found dead with stab wounds, bruises and signs of strangulation after Camarano called 911 to report her death, hysterically claiming someone had stabbed her.
A doctor from the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner previously testified that Hyams' death was conclusively a homicide.
Closing arguments in the week-long trial are scheduled for Thursday.
Camarano did not take the stand in his own defense during cross-examination, possibly to avoid disclosing his criminal history, which includes drug and robbery convictions.
