New DNA test will make New Jersey debut in murder case

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — The trial of a Wood-Ridge man accused of beating a woman to death and setting her body on fire will mark the first time that a jury in New Jersey will consider evidence in a murder case based on a "next generation" test that can analyze the DNA from just a few cells of biological material.

Key evidence that authorities say links Daniel Rochat to the crime was extracted from traces of blood — found in a kitchen sink more than a mile from where the woman was killed.

Rochat, 40, is behind bars, awaiting trial on murder, arson and a host of other charges in connection with the slaying of Barbara Vernieri, a real estate agent he had known for decades. She was killed Sept. 14, 2012, in her East Rutherford home.