Two Arrested in 2016 Home Invasion Killing After Decade-Long Investigation
Authorities have charged two people with the death of a New Jersey citizen over ten years after a violent home invasion that ended in tragedy. On Monday, officials in Burlington County announced the arrests, which ended an investigation that had been ongoing for almost ten years.
On September 25, 2016, around 11:30 p.m., a home invasion killed 37-year-old Norman Mosley. People wearing masks stormed into the trailer that Mosley and his girlfriend lived in on Alfred Drive in Pemberton Township. After a fight, Mosley was shot twice. Mosley died roughly an hour after his girlfriend took him to Capital Health at Deborah.
The Burlington County Medical Examiner, Ian Hood, looked at Mosley’s body and found that he had been shot in the head and chest. The case had been open for years but not solved, which was frustrating for both the police and the victim’s family.
Kevin D’Costa, 45, from Irvington, and Daemen Hodge, 32, from Browns Mills, were later listed as two people who might have done it. Both men are accused of a number of serious felonies, including first-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy, and a number of gun-related charges. The arrests are a huge step forward for local officials.
The most important thing that happened in the case was that forensic science got better. DNA tests on gloves seized at the crime scene linked D’Costa, Hodge, and the victim to the crime. This proof gave police the vital connection they had been hunting for several years. D’Costa was arrested on separate charges in December while he was at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. Last Friday, Hodge was arrested in Bordentown Township. He is presently in Burlington County Jail waiting for his court date.
LaChia Bradshaw, the Burlington County Prosecutor, said she was happy to finally give Mosley’s family justice after they had been so patient and determined for so long. Tamara Burrows, Mosley’s mother, and other family members regularly attended crime victim vigils, always hopeful that those who were responsible would be punished.
Bradshaw talked about how real criminal investigations work. He noted that TV shows often change how people think about crimes, but it can take years to solve real-life crimes. The investigation was a joint effort between the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Pemberton Township Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences. This highlights how crucial it is for diverse groups to work together to tackle issues that are so hard.
The arrests provide the Mosley family a long-awaited sense of justice and highlight how advances in forensic technology can help solve crimes that have remained unsolved for a long time. Officials keep stating that it’s very vital for police departments to cooperate together and undertake thorough investigations to make sure that persons who commit serious crimes are punished.
Sources:
- Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office
- New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences
- Burlington County Medical Examiner
