CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A Harvard grad student who claims he stabbed a teen to death in self-defense had a prior history of concussions, a witness testified Friday as the defense began its case in the Ivy Leaguer's first-degree murder trial.

Alexander Pring-Wilson, 26, is accused of stabbing 18-year-old Michael Colono five times with a four-inch pocket knife during a late-night street fight on April 12, 2003.

Prosecutors say Pring-Wilson attacked Colono, who was unarmed and sitting in a car with two friends, after the teen made a joke around 1:45 a.m. about him being drunk and stumbling down the street.

Pring-Wilson initially told police he was an innocent bystander. But after learning that Colono had died, he apologized for lying and later claimed that he was the one who was attacked that evening. The defendant claims that Colono and his cousin repeatedly punched and kicked him in the head, forcing him to use his knife in order to defend himself.

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Osteopathic doctor David Ross, of Colorado Springs, treated Pring-Wilson in September 1998 when the defendant was a student at Colorado College.

Pring-Wilson visited Ross for blows to the head he received while playing rugby, and complained of headaches, dizziness and blurred vision.

At the time, Ross said, the 20-year-old student said he had suffered four or five previous concussions from playing football and rugby. Ross advised him to quit both sports.

"I was very concerned because of his history of previous concussions," Ross testified. "I talked to him specifically about Muhammad Ali, the boxer, who sustained repeated blows to the brain."

Ross said Pring-Wilson's CT scan appeared normal, adding that "the ability to walk, talk and do other things normally certainly does not preclude a concussion."

Assistant state attorney Adrienne Lynch has called several witnesses, who described the defendant as looking and talking normal in the hours after the fight.

Photos of Pring-Wilson taken by police appear to support the state's assertion that he did not suffer any visual injuries other than a bump over his left eyebrow — which is consistent with the testimony of witness Samuel Rodriguez, who said he punched the defendant once in the head to try to get him away from Colono.

Pring-Wilson was arrested at about 8:30 a.m. on April 12. Later that day and on April 13, he requested medical treatment for headaches, spotty vision and nausea.

During cross-examination, Lynch reminded the doctor that the exact diagnosis from his notes was "probable" recurring concussion. She also pointed out that the defendant's previous history indicated he was "well aware of what the symptoms would be," implying that he could fake them if necessary.

"A concussion doesn't make people lie, does it?" Lynch asked.

"I have no idea," Ross said.

Hurt or hungover?

Lynch also proposed the same question to defense expert Dr. Jeremy Schmahmann, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Schmahmann testified that he reviewed the defendant's medical history from "birth at 8 pounds, 11 ounces" to when he was treated as a youth for swallowing quarters and skiing into trees, as well as his rugby-related concussion and the most recent records pertaining to his treatment after the stabbing incident.

Schmahmann, who did not examine Pring-Wilson personally, agreed that concussions do not "predispose one to telling lies," but posited that his confusion and inconsistent answers to police could be indicative of a concussion.

Lynch also questioned whether Pring-Wilson's symptoms may have simply been the signs of a hangover from a night of heavy drinking.

Schmahmann agreed it was possible, while adding that the defendant's report of a headache immediately after receiving the lump on his head was a factor that outweighed a hangover.

Witness considered

Associate Justice Regina Quinlan released jurors early Friday and dealt with several matters outside their presence, including whether to compel the testimony of a witness currently in police custody on an unrelated issue.

Anthony Lewis, who was with Samuel Rodriguez several hours before the stabbing, was rolled into the courtroom in a wheelchair and prison jumpsuit while jurors were out of the room.

The witness, who appeared to be in his late 20s, said he was unable to fully raise his right hand while taking the oath because he recently had been shot. He then invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify for fear of self-incrimination.

The attorneys would not comment on the details of an affidavit Lewis signed for the defense, and the judge will rule on Monday whether to allow portions of the document into evidence.

She is also expected to announce her ruling on the defense's motion to dismiss the case. A denial is likely.

A female juror suffering from flu was released from service on Friday morning. Another juror had a death in the family, but will remain. The trial is expected to last another week.

Alexander Pring-Wilson faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.

Court TV is broadcasting the trial live.