Pennsauken man sentenced to prison for 1997 Mt. Laurel sexual assault

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The Burlington County Prosector’s Office sentenced Rodolfo Vasquez, 63, of Pennsauken, New Jersey, to prison after he sexually assaulted a woman inside her home in 1997.

MT. LAUREL, NJ - The Burlington County Prosector’s Office announced on Wednesday that a New Jersey man has been sentenced to prison decades after he sexually assaulted a woman in her home.

Officials say the original investigation began in June 1997 when officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department met with the victim, who indicated the assault occurred after she heard a noise and got out of bed to check on it.

The victim, whose name is being withheld by the Prosecutor’s Office, said a man confronted her in the bedroom doorway before he grabbed her and began striking her in the head multiple times.

The man then began sexually assaulting the victim, repeatedly telling her not to call police, before he fled the residence.

Since the assault happened in the dark, authorities say the victim was unable to provide a detailed description of the attacker. When responding officers arrived, they discovered that a rear sliding glass door had been forced open.

Investigators recovered evidence at the scene, and they say the victim agreed to have a sexual assault examination performed at a nearby hospital. The biological evidence was submitted to the New Jersey State Police crime laboratory, which officials say generated a DNA profile, but failed to identify a suspect.

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In August 2020, the Mount Laurel Police Department was notified that the DNA profile from the 1997 case had been matched to Rodolfo Vasquez, now 63, through a DNA system overseen by the FBI.

Officials say Vasquez has been required to submit a DNA sample after pleading guilty to contempt of a judicial order stemming from his arrest for driving without a license in 2019 in Cinnaminson, New Jersey.

After a search warrant was secured, authorities say another DNA sample was collected from Vasquez, which matched the one collected during the 1997 investigation.

In June 2022, Vasquez pled guilty to first degree aggravated sexual assault. Authorities say he told the court while entering the plea that he went into a Camber Lane home in June 1997 without authorization and sexually assaulted a woman who was in the home by herself.

Now, 25 years later, a court sentenced Vasquez to eight years in a New Jersey state prison. The Prosecutor’s Office says Vasquez must serve 85% of the term before becoming eligible for parole.

"I commend all of the investigators and law enforcement personnel whose thorough, diligent work held the defendant accountable after all this time and brought justice for the victim," said Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw.

Crime & Public Safety News New Jersey