New Trial For Bergen Man Convicted Of Killing Woman: Report

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The Wood-Ridge man convicted of beating a woman to death and setting her home on fire will get a new trial based on improper DNA evidence, according to court records.

Daniel Rochat has been in prison since 2017, when he was convicted of killing 70-year-old Barbara Vernieri, as NJ.com reports. He was serving a life sentence, prison records show.

Rochat and his attorney David A. Ruhnke argued that DNA evidence presented at trial was "improperly admitted" and obtained using a technique "not generally accepted in the scientific community."

An appellate court judge reversed Rochat's conviction and ordered a new trial.