A New Jersey man was sentenced to 8 years in prison after submitting a DNA sample, which linked him to a sexual assault case from over 20 years ago.
Authorities arrested Rodolfo Vasquez for driving without a license in 2019 and required he submit a DNA sample. When entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), Vasquez’s DNA matched with a DNA profile of the 1997 case, TAPinto reported Tuesday. (RELATED: Man Sentenced 40 Years After Murder, Rape Of Victim)
The original investigation was in June 1997.https://t.co/UBa4dyP99P
— CBS Philadelphia (@CBSPhiladelphia) January 12, 2023
The crime occurred in June 1997 when Vasquez allegedly invaded a home on Camber Lane in Mount Laurel and sexually assaulted a woman who was alone, according to TAPinto.
The woman, whose identity is being withheld, attempted to defend herself but Vasquez struck her multiple times in the head, which caused permanent damage to one of her eyes, according to the outlet.
Mount Laurel Police came to speak with the victim but she was not able to give a detailed description of her attacker due to the attack occurring in the dark, the outlet reported.
The victim agreed to doing a sexual assault examination and biological evidence was submitted to the New Jersey State Police crime laboratory where a DNA profile was generated. However, the profile could not find a match when entered into the national DNA database, according to the Trentonian.
Vasquez pled guilty to crime in June 2022 and was sentenced on December 9, according to TAPinto.
“This case strongly demonstrates the value of the CODIS database as a law enforcement tool,” Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said, according to the outlet. “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.”