(Original Post 3-21-08)A serial rapist was convicted of 10 charges, including the rape and murder of a woman back in 2003. Chris Kornberger of Evesham, NJ was convicted of raping and murdering Krista Defrancesco, 24. Another woman, Elizabeth Loetzner-Jung, formerly of Evesham, was ran off the road so Kornburger could assault, rape, and kidnap her back in August 2003.
James Ronca, an assistant Burlington County prosecutor, told jurors Kornberger voluntarily confessed to DiFrancesco's killing and his DNA was found in semen taken from her body despite contamination of that sample at a testing laboratory.
"He was the man who killed Krista DiFrancesco," Ronca said in his closing argument, pointing to Kornberger, who sat in the courtroom with his two lawyers. "The crimes were the product of a sexual compulsion that he said he hoped would go away."
Defense lawyer Timothy Reilly attacked mistakes he said were made by the police during the interrogation.
Reilly admitted Kornberger is a "troubled person" with emotional problems, suggesting he may be one of those "disturbed people" who follow major criminal cases in the news and, for notoriety reasons, confess to them.
Reilly said testimony by an independent prosecution expert that the DNA test was valid was based on results from an "incompetent" lab whose procedural standards were criticized by the expert.
Reilly also questioned the confession's validity because the first half of the police interrogation was not taped. He also said there were too many details Kornberger did not remember while speaking to police and that he was led on by police.
Ronca said only the killer would know certain details of the crimes that Kornberger gave -- such as the location of DiFrancesco's stab wounds. Ronca tried to debunk conspiracy theories, calling the confession convincing, candid and truthful.
"He (Kornberger) even professed remorse many times," Ronca said. "He cried. . . . Nobody maneuvered him. . . . No one was forcing him to admit to crimes he didn't do. He said he was under the influence of drugs when he committed the crimes. No wonder he doesn't remember everything."
Kornburger pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a Evesham woman, Nancy "Kim" Clark, at the start of his trial, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the attempted rape of a Waterford, NJ woman. He faces life in prison.
James Ronca, an assistant Burlington County prosecutor, told jurors Kornberger voluntarily confessed to DiFrancesco's killing and his DNA was found in semen taken from her body despite contamination of that sample at a testing laboratory.
"He was the man who killed Krista DiFrancesco," Ronca said in his closing argument, pointing to Kornberger, who sat in the courtroom with his two lawyers. "The crimes were the product of a sexual compulsion that he said he hoped would go away."
Defense lawyer Timothy Reilly attacked mistakes he said were made by the police during the interrogation.
Reilly admitted Kornberger is a "troubled person" with emotional problems, suggesting he may be one of those "disturbed people" who follow major criminal cases in the news and, for notoriety reasons, confess to them.
Reilly said testimony by an independent prosecution expert that the DNA test was valid was based on results from an "incompetent" lab whose procedural standards were criticized by the expert.
Reilly also questioned the confession's validity because the first half of the police interrogation was not taped. He also said there were too many details Kornberger did not remember while speaking to police and that he was led on by police.
Ronca said only the killer would know certain details of the crimes that Kornberger gave -- such as the location of DiFrancesco's stab wounds. Ronca tried to debunk conspiracy theories, calling the confession convincing, candid and truthful.
"He (Kornberger) even professed remorse many times," Ronca said. "He cried. . . . Nobody maneuvered him. . . . No one was forcing him to admit to crimes he didn't do. He said he was under the influence of drugs when he committed the crimes. No wonder he doesn't remember everything."
Kornburger pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a Evesham woman, Nancy "Kim" Clark, at the start of his trial, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the attempted rape of a Waterford, NJ woman. He faces life in prison.
(Update 7-16-08) On July 2, Burlington County Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Smith Jr. sentenced Chris Kornberger to life without parole for 126 years for the crimes mentioned above.
Nancy “Kim” Clark, who survived the stabbing attack, said that she feared for her kids’ safety, just in case they encountered an “evil, deviant person like Christopher Kornberger.” Clark was robbed of her “sense of trust in others.”
The 3rd victim in the July 2 sentencing, Elizabeth Loetzner-Jung, did not attend the sentencing.
On Monday, July 14, Kornberger pleaded guilty to his last crime in front of Camden County Superior Court Judge Samuel Natal, the attempted rape of a Waterford, NJ woman he tried to pull from her home. Prosecutors recommended a 15 year sentence for the attempted rape and kidnapping, which will run concurrent with his other terms. The 18 year sentence for the attempted murder of was reduced to 9 years due to New Jersey sentencing guidelines.
Nancy “Kim” Clark, who survived the stabbing attack, said that she feared for her kids’ safety, just in case they encountered an “evil, deviant person like Christopher Kornberger.” Clark was robbed of her “sense of trust in others.”
The 3rd victim in the July 2 sentencing, Elizabeth Loetzner-Jung, did not attend the sentencing.
On Monday, July 14, Kornberger pleaded guilty to his last crime in front of Camden County Superior Court Judge Samuel Natal, the attempted rape of a Waterford, NJ woman he tried to pull from her home. Prosecutors recommended a 15 year sentence for the attempted rape and kidnapping, which will run concurrent with his other terms. The 18 year sentence for the attempted murder of was reduced to 9 years due to New Jersey sentencing guidelines.
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