>“I told you last Tuesday that by now we’d know the answer as to why the defendant was in that chair as the defendant,” a Suffolk County prosecutor told a Superior Court jury today during a closing argument in the trial of ANTHONY CHAMBERS for the stabbing death of Edward “Red” Quiles.

“He is not a victim,” Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum continued. “He killed a man, tried to cover his tracks, and lied, lied, lied about it.”

Chambers (D.O.B. 1/15/57) is charged with a single count of manslaughter for his 28-year-old former friend’s homicide while the two were staying at a Chinatown apartment on Feb. 10, 2008. The two men – who often used drugs together and had no fixed addresses – often stayed overnight at a Nassau Street residence rented by a mutual friend.

Evidence and testimony introduced at trial suggests that Chambers and Quiles went out on the streets and purchased heroin on the evening of Feb. 9 before returning to the apartment. They spent the evening doing drugs before passing out early the next morning. The man who rented the apartment was later awoken by the sounds of an argument between the two men.

“Find my [expletive]. Where’s my [expletive],” Quiles is said to have yelled, accusing Chambers of stealing drugs from him.

Chambers allegedly replied, “I don’t have your stuff.”

At about this time, the tenant left the apartment. A short time later, the defendant called 911 and said Quiles was “flipping out” and threatening him. He provided the address to a Boston Police dispatcher, who sent an officer to investigate.

Moments later, the tenant returned to his room see the two men engaged in a struggle during which Quiles allegedly screamed out, “You stabbed me, you bastard.”

“The defendant had changed from a caller to a killer,” Polumbaum said.

The tenant raced to the downstairs lobby, where he asked the concierge to make a second 911 call.

Chambers is said to have left the apartment and walked down the stairs, leaving a trail of Quiles’ blood in his wake and even passing a responding police officer as he headed toward Harrison Avenue. As other officers made their way up to the studio apartment, that officer detained Chambers, demanded to see his hands, and noted that they were covered in blood.

“He wanted to hide the blood on his hands and sneak away,” Polumbaum said. “They caught him literally red-handed.”

Chambers initially told police that he had cut his hand, Polumbaum said, and that two men – including one with a gun – were trying to kill him.

“There was not a scratch on this man,” Polumbaum said of Chambers.

Once inside, police officers found Quiles mortally wounded, face down on the bed covered in his own blood. The broken blade of a steak knife was on the floor and its handle was found on a desk nearby, Polumbaum said.

“The defendant made sure that Edward Quiles would not leave the second floor, except as a dead man,” Polumbaum said. “The defendant is the one on trial here, not the man he killed.”

Gesturing to the defendant, Polumbaum told the jury, “Now is the time for you to hold him accountable.”

Chambers is represented by attorney John Sinsheimer. Proceedings took place in courtroom 907 before Judge Regina Quinlan, who instructed jurors on the law before they began their deliberations earlier today.