Crime & Safety
Bernards Township Murder Conviction Overturned, Man Free After Nearly 20 Years
Gerard Richardson, 48, of Elizabeth, was released this week after new DNA evidence revealed someone else may have committed 1994 killing.
An Elizabeth man, jailed for two decades for the murder of a teenager in Bernards Township, was released on bail this week after a judge overturned the 1995 conviction.
Gerard Richardson, 48, posted $5,000 bail after Superior Court Judge Julie Marino overturned the conviction on Monday based on new DNA evidence revealed someone else may have killed 19-year-old Monica Reyes in 1994, according to NJ.com.
Reyes' body was found in a ditch along Old Stagecoach Road in Bernards Township in February 1994. Authorities determined the Elizabeth teen died from blunt-force trauma to the head.
A forensic odontologist testified for the prosecution that a bite mark on Reyes matched Richardson's teeth. The defense maintained that the match never existed. Richardson was convicted in November 1995 and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
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