Pennsauken man sentenced to prison after DNA connects to sexual assault case
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (CBS) -- A Pennsauken man was sentenced to eight years in prison after DNA connected him to a home invasion and sexual assault in June 1997, the Burlington County prosecutor said in a release on Wednesday. Rodolfo Vasquez, 63, pled guilty to first-degree aggravated sexual assault last June.
Mount Laurel police met with a woman during the original investigation in 1997, whose name is being protected and they say she indicated the assault happened when she heard a noise and got out of bed, according to the release from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.
Officials say the assault happened in the dark and the woman couldn't give a detailed description of the attacker. They also say Vasquez grabbed her, started to hit her in the head and she attempted to defend herself. The Burlington County prosecutor's office said the incident resulted in the victim having permanent vision damage in one eye.
Evidence was recovered at the scene from the investigation and it was submitted to the New Jersey State Police crime laboratory, but officials say they weren't able to identify a suspect when the evidence went into a national DNA database.
After Vazquez was arrested for an unrelated charge in 2019, Mount Laurel police found out in August 2020 that Vasquez's DNA matched the 1997 case through a Combined DNA Index System
"This case strongly demonstrates the value of the CODIS database as a law enforcement tool," Prosecutor Bradshaw said in a statement. "I commend all of the investigators and law enforcement personnel whose thorough, diligent work held the defendant accountable after all of this time and brought justice for the victim."
While entering the plea, officials say Vasquez told the court he went into a home in Camber Lane in 1997 and "without authorization and sexually assaulted a woman who was there by herself."
Vasquez was sentenced last December. In order to become eligible for parole, he has to serve 85% of his sentence.