MADISON, Wis. -- The family and friends of Joel Marino, the Madison man found fatally stabbed on the city's south side in January, said that any news regarding the investigation is a step forward.

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"It seems like it's been a lifetime since all this happened, so I think everyday you try and just remember Joel for who he was and try not to think about it too much," said Marino's best friend Bryan Bazan.

It's been exactly six weeks and Bazan still can't believe what happened to his best friend, but there is some renewed hope, WISC-TV reported.

"We don't have a name but we do have substantial amount of forensic evidence and that is good," said Joel DeSpain, the Madison Police Department's spokesman.

State Crime Lab officials are now linking male DNA found on a four-inch paring knife, believed to be the murder weapon, to DNA found on a white cap and a backpack recovered near the scene of Joel Marino's murder. Police believe the DNA is the suspect's, WISC-TV reported.

"It's always great to get new information, I think it's the one good thing that really keeps going is that we know the police are working on it," said Bazan.

"With this forensic evidence and the commitment of the detectives and the family and friends, I'm still very optimistic that we will find eventually Joel Marino's killer," said DeSpain.

"It's great to get even the smallest piece of information because it gives us hope that it is going to move forward and eventually this has to come to an end," said Bazan.

Family and friends are setting up a Joel Marino Memorial Fund. They are hosting a benefit concert on April 13 at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Madison. The money raised will go to a music scholarship for students in need and for automatic defibrillators, WISC-TV reported.