N.J. man sentenced to life at retrial for beating real estate agent, setting her on fire while still alive

HACKENSACK, N.J. (TCN) -- A judge resentenced a man after he was convicted a second time for beating a 70-year-old real estate agent and setting her on fire while she was still alive, ultimately leading to her death.

NorthJersey.com reports Daniel Rochat will spend his natural life in prison for killing Barbara Vernieri in 2012. A life sentence in New Jersey reportedly consists of 75 years behind bars with the probability of parole after 85% of the term is completed. New Jersey Department of Corrections records show Rochat is eligible for parole on July 2, 2076.

According to the Bergen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Rochat was convicted in June 2017, but a New Jersey appeals court overturned the ruling in 2022 due to what Rochat argued was improper DNA evidence used at his trial.

Rochat was reconvicted in April of first-degree murder, aggravated arson, felony murder, unlawful desecration of human remains, hindering apprehension by providing false statements to police, hindering apprehension by concealing and/or destroying evidence, and false swearing.

According to the appeals court opinion, on Sept. 14, 2012, tenants who lived in Vernieri’s home heard beeping and smelled gasoline coming from her living area. They knocked on her door, but she didn’t answer. Police arrived at her home and found Vernieri nude and face-down on the ground burns on her legs, arms, and back. Her hair had also been burned off. Investigators concluded gasoline had been placed around the room and on her body before she was set on fire. Her cause of death was blunt force head injuries.

NorthJersey.com reports the autopsy indicated she was most likely alive when the fire occurred.

Rochat initially told investigators his car broke down near her home on Sept. 14, 2012, so he "pulled over and decided to pay her an unannounced visit." He stayed for about an hour and offered to help her move, but she turned down his offer.

He described Vernieri as a longtime family friend.

Rochat said the last time he saw Vernieri was Sept. 13, 2012, when he stopped by the real estate office where she worked, which his father owned. Rochat claimed he visited his father the next day to borrow money and then drove to the Jersey Shore.

The court opinion says Rochat changed his story about his whereabouts. Shoe prints found at the scene reportedly matched a pair Rochat owned.

Vernieri’s daughter told investigators Rochat’s impromptu visit was a "strange encounter" because he had not done that before.

Detectives found Rochat’s DNA in his sink, and he was arrested for murder. Rochat was convicted five years later.

He appealed the conviction, arguing the DNA used was "improperly admitted at trial." The appeals court opinion says the samples and evidence prosecutors cited as evidence "are not generally accepted in the scientific community."

NorthJersey.com reports Rochat and his family continue to argue that he is innocent. He said at his hearing, "Justice has not been served. The person who did this brutal murder has eluded justice."

Vernieri’s daughter said, "Rochat not only took my mother’s life, he took a piece of mine."

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