Brancato takes stand at his murder trial

NEW YORK, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Lillo Brancato, an actor being tried for murder, says he was trying to let himself into his drug dealer's home when his friend shot a New York police officer.

"I was knocking on every door and every window to get this guy's attention. I knew he was in there. He wasn't the type to be out dancing," the New York Daily News quoted Brancato as saying of his dealer, whom he later found out had been dead for months.

Brancato also testified he was high on crack and heroin that night in 2005 when his friend Steven Armento fatally shot off-duty Officer Daniel Enchautegui. Prosecutors contend the officer was killed when he caught Brancato and Armento breaking into the house next door. Enchautegui shot Brancato and Armento during the altercation.

Known for his roles in the film "A Bronx Tale" and the TV series "The Sopranos," the 32-year-old actor has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the slaying, even though Armento has been convicted of firing the shot that killed Enchautegui. Brancato was hit with the murder charge because he was allegedly part of the initial crime that set off the chain of events that resulted in the officer's death.

The Daily News said the actor took the stand in his trial Monday and insisted he didn't know Enchautegui was a policeman and explained he wasn't trying to commit a burglary. Instead, he said, he was trying to let himself into his dealer's home as he had done "many times before."