Man is charged in vicious attacks

“The apartment was a bloody mess’’ when police arrived, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said at a press conference yesterday at Cambridge police headquarters, announcing the arrest of Marcos Colono, 32. “They arrived there because of the frantic 911 call that was made by the 11-year-old boy.’’

Colono is also a suspect in a Sept. 21, 2008, rape of two college-age women in Brighton, but has not been charged in the attack, during which the rapist forced the women to lie on top of one another while he assaulted them, authorities said.

Prosecutors suspect that Colono’s DNA profile will match biological evidence collected from both the Brighton and Cambridge crimes. Boston police have Colono’s fingerprints on file from a drug arrest in 1998, authorities said, and his handprint was allegedly found in the home prosecutors said he invaded in August

A not guilty plea was entered yesterday on Colono’s behalf at his arraignment in Cambridge District Court in Medford on charges of home invasion, armed assault to murder, and aggravated rape of a child. He is due back in court on Nov. 9.

The adult victim is an employee of Harvard University, a relative told the Globe in August. He is a researcher at the university, neighbors said yesterday. The Globe does not identify sexual assault victims or their relatives.

Colono is the brother of Michael Colono, 18, who was stabbed to death in 2003 by Alexander Pring-Wilson, then a Harvard graduate student.

Assistant Middlesex District Attorney Katharine Folger said yesterday in court that police responded to the home on Pearl Street in Cambridge shortly after 1 a.m. on Aug. 26.

Police determined that Marcos Colono had entered the apartment with a large butcher knife, Folger said, then forced the son to lie on top of his father in the living room while he rummaged through the apartment looking for money. Authorities have noted the similarities in the Brighton and Cambridge cases, where the victims in both cases were forced to lie on top of each other.

Folger said that the defendant in the Cambridge case later brought them both into the father’s bedroom, where he assaulted the boy at knifepoint.

After the boy refused to continue complying with Colono’s demands, he allegedly stabbed the father more than 10 times in an apparent attempt to sever his head, according to Folger.

Colono’s court-appointed lawyer, Benjamin Selman, said that the bail was excessive. He said there was no positive identification made of his client “besides this alleged handprint.’’

Selman said Colono was born in Cambridge and has lived in the area his entire life. He said that Colono, who has a 15-year-old son, obtained his GED in 1994 and has worked in construction.

Colono was concealed from view behind a door yesterday during the hearing. His mother and sister were in attendance, but did not speak to reporters.

In 2003, Colono had harsh words for Pring-Wilson. “People want to know why a Harvard student would do such a thing,’’ Colono said at the time. “He was drunk, carrying a knife, and arguing with people on the street. To me, he was nothing but a Harvard thug.’’

Yesterday, Leone said it is only a coincidence that one Colono brother was a crime victim while another is now charged with committing a “horrific’’ crime.

In the Cambridgeport neighborhood yesterday, Alex Karutsky said he was thrilled to learn of the arrest.

“That’s great,’’ he said, adding that he has not seen the man since the attack but had heard from a friend that he is recovering from his injuries.

There was no answer yesterday at Colono’s apartment, within walking distance of the Pearl Street home. A neighbor in his building said he thought Colono lived in the unit with a woman.

At yesterday’s press conference, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley applauded crime scene technicians who collected the evidence that police believe may soon link Colono to a vicious set of crimes.

“On a personal level, it’s a monumental relief for four victims whose lives were turned upside down when their homes were invaded and their bodies violated by a man no one could identify,’’ Conley said.

Conley said efforts are now underway to charge Colono in the Brighton attacks.

Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com; Andersen at tandersen@globe.com.