WORCESTER —  A partial DNA profile generated from the fingernail scrapings of Clara J. Provost matched the DNA of Ronald D. Dame, the man accused of murdering her 38 years ago, a Worcester Superior Court jury was told yesterday.Calin L. Drugan, a chemist and DNA analyst at the state police crime lab, testified at Mr. Dame?s trial that genetic testing she conducted in 2007 showed Mr. Dame?s DNA profile matched a profile derived from material removed from beneath the fingernails of Ms. Provost?s right hand after she was found slain in her apartment at 13 Highland Ave. in Fitchburg Jan. 7, 1974.

Prosecutors allege the 23-year-old woman, whose throat was slashed, was killed by the now 65-year-old Mr. Dame after he broke into her apartment with the intention of forcing her to have sex with him.

Assistant District Attorney Joseph A. Quinlan told the jury in his opening statement that he expected the evidence to show Ms. Provost scratched the left side of Mr. Dame?s face with the fingernails of her right hand during the attack. Police saw the scratches when they questioned him later that day, according to the assistant district attorney.

Mr. Dame?s lawyer, John H. LaChance, told the jury in his opening statement that Mr. Dame was at his sister?s house when Ms. Provost was killed and that one of Mr. Dame?s nieces scratched him as he was tickling her.

Ms. Drugan testified that the chances of the DNA match occurring at random were one in 2.2 million in the Caucasian population of unrelated males.

She also testified that Mr. Dame?s DNA profile matched a genetic profile derived from sperm and seminal fluid found on a paper towel that police said they found in the back seat of Mr. Dame?s car when he went to the Fitchburg police station for questioning on Jan. 7, 1974.

She said the chances of such a match occurring at random in the non-sperm fraction of the stain on the paper towel were one in 27.8 million in the Caucasian population, and one in 5,227 for the sperm fraction of the stain.

A representative of an independent testing lab testified earlier that the paper towel from Mr. Dame?s car and pieces of paper towel found on Ms. Provost?s kitchen floor were from the same manufacturer and were consistent with being from the same batch or run.

Although investigators had long considered him a suspect in the killing, Mr. Dame was not charged until 2006 when, prosecutors said, DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

Testimony in the trial is scheduled to resume today.

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DNA found under nails