Jonathan Robert Beaton, 25, was stabbed to death on New Year's Day in 2010. (Facebook)

The trial for a Dartmouth man accused of second-degree murder heard Wednesday that his fingerprints are not identifiable on the knife that police say was used in a fatal stabbing at a New Year's Eve party.

Cpl. John Landry, a forensic specialist with the RCMP, was testifying in the jury trial of Robert Harris Lamb, who is accused of stabbing Jonathan Robert Beaton to death early on Jan. 1, 2010.

A fight involving several people spilled out of a home at 123 College Street in Antigonish and Beaton, 25, was found lying outside with a severe stab wound.

He was rushed to hospital and died several hours later. Four other people were hurt.

On Wednesday, Landry described the crime scene to those gathered at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Pictou and went through pictures and a video he took on the day of the stabbing.

He testified that although no useable fingerprints were found on the knife that's believed to have been used in the stabbing, that doesn't mean someone didn't handle it.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Donald Murray, Landry said he also could not identify a bloody palm print found on a stove in the kitchen where the brawl is believed to have occurred.

Landry told the court that the scene could have been contaminated by the large number of people at the party and by emergency workers who responded to reports of multiple stabbings in the home.

Beaton's mother spoke to CBC News on Wednesday and said the family was having a difficult time hearing the testimony and reliving the tragedy.