May 17 04 - Suspect Arrested in Multiple Attacks

May 17 04 - Suspect Arrested in Multiple Attacks

May 17, 2004 - Suspect Arrested by Burlington County Prosecutor's Office

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Evesham Township Police Chief Joseph Cornely announced this afternoon that an arrest has been made in connection with the murder of Krista DeFrancesco and the stabbing attack of Nancy “Kim Clark”. Mrs. DeFrancesco was discovered stabbed in front of her home in Evesham Township N.J. in the early morning hours of May 10th, 2003 and Mrs. Clark who was assaulted and stabbed as she walking near her home on November 3, 2003. The defendant has been identified as Christopher Kornberger, age 19, of 118 Mill Road, Marlton, N.J. The defendant was arrested at 4:00 a.m. Friday May 14, 2004 at the Prosecutor’s Office by members of the Evesham Township Police and Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit. The defendant was arrested without incident. Kornberger has been charged with the Murder of Krista DeFrancesco and the Attempted Murder of Nancy Clark. The defendant is currently being held in the Burlington County Jail in Mt. Holly, N.J., unable to post bail set at $1.1 million.

Our County Prosecutor's office and the Evesham Township Police department should be commended for their thorough and diligent police work. According to local TV and newspaper reports, the suspect was identified from a pool of 150 potential perpetrators that matched the description and age given by the victims of these attacks. One of the victims had noticed that the suspect tossed a cigarette butt just before he attacked her, and police were able to retrieve this evidence and obtain a DNA sample from the butt. The suspect had voluntarily given police a DNA sample in November, and police were finally able to obtain a match to the evidence found at the crime scene this month. A DNA match has also been made to skin found under the fingernails of Krista DeFrancesco. Kornberger was interviewed by prosecutors last week, and he apparently has confessed to these crimes and 2 other attacks on women in Waterford township. A search warrant was obtained for his home, and bloody clothing and other evidence has been obtained.

Medford and Marlton residents are grateful to the police and prosecutors for their dedication to catching the perpetrator of these depraved crimes.

Source: Office of the Prosecutor County of Burlington

Medford Township NJ 08055 - Burlington County - Southern New Jersey