DNA Testing Cracks 2016 Homicide, Home Invasion Case In Burlington Co.: Prosecutor

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP, NJ — Ten years after masked intruders shot and killed a man inside his Pemberton Township home, two men have been identified as suspects and arrested, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

In September 2016, several masked suspects invaded Norman Mosley's trailer, which he shared with his girlfriend in the Browns Mills section of the township, authorities said. A violent struggle ensued that night, leading to Mosley getting shot in the head and chest.

Mosley's girlfriend drove him to Capital Health at Deborah – Emergency Services, where the 37-year-old died about an hour later.

As the years passed without any arrests, it would've been easy for Mosley's family to lose hope. But they never relented. The family and their supporters regularly showed up in large numbers to the Prosecutor's Office candlelight vigil for crime victims with shirts and banners that displayed Mosley's photo.

Almost a decade later, two men were charged last month in the case: Kevin D'Costa, 45, of Irvington, and Daemen Hodge, 32, of Browns Mills. Both men are in custody.

"We drew strength from the family’s support as we continued to investigate this case," said County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw. "It was uncharacteristic and greatly appreciated."

Prosecutors identified D'Costa and Hodge as the suspects during the decade-long investigation. But advancements in DNA testing bolstered the case and led to the charges, officials said.

After the homicide, authorities established a wide perimeter around the crime scene to search for physical evidence. They found gloves along the roadway, which were later tested to reveal DNA from the victim and both suspects, prosecutors said.

The new evidence allowed investigators to secure homicide warrants from a Superior Court judge, according to the prosecutor's office.

Hodge and D'Costa were charged last month with first-degree counts of murder, robbery and conspiracy, along with several second-degree weapons offenses.

D'Costa's warrant was served last month at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, where he's jailed on unrelated charges.

Hodge was arrested Friday morning at his girlfriend's home in Bordentown Township. He's detained in Burlington County Jail as he awaits his first court appearance.

Attorney information for the suspects wasn't immediately available in online court records.