NJ man gets life in prison after being found guilty for second time in murder of realtor

HACKENSACK − A Bergen County Superior Court judge emphasized a Wood-Ridge man's complete lack of remorse for the brutal murder of an East Rutherford real estate agent in 2012 during his sentencing on Friday.

Daniel Rochat was found guilty a second time in April for the death of 70-year-old Barbara Vernieri, who was found beaten and set on fire while she was still alive in her home. Rochat's previous conviction was overturned in an appellate court in 2022.

Rochat was found guilty of murder, arson, felony murder, desecration, hindering and false swearing.

One of Rochat's attorneys, Eric Feinberg, argued that his client has "lost out on the best years of his life," having spent the last 12 years in county jail and state prison.

"How much more time does the court want Daniel Rochat to spend in prison?" Feinberg asked.

Judge Christopher Kazlau's answer to Feinberg's question was Rochat would likely spend the rest of his natural life in prison. Kazlau sentenced the 49-year-old man to life in prison on the murder charge, which merged with the felony murder charge. Life in prison in the state is presumed to be 75 years with 85% of a sentence being served before being eligible for parole.

In addition to life imprisonment, Rochat was sentenced to 10 years for arson, 10 years for desecration, five years apiece for both hindering charges and 18 months for false swearing. The sentences will run concurrently with each other.

Throughout his decision, Kazlau pointed to the statements made to the police by Rochat, noting the man's tone and demeanor during the interviews was "striking."

When handing down the sentence, Kazlau provided the horrific details surrounding Vernieri's death, including that soot was found in her larynx, trachea and bronchi as well as carbon monoxide being found in her blood, all indicators of her being set on fire while still alive. He said she suffered burns to her head and body, with hair burned off, a fractured tibia and a blood wound on the left side of her head.

During arguments, Assistant Prosecutor Dave Malfitano said it was a "torturous, horrific way to die" and the worst act was Vernieri being set aflame while still alive.

The judge called Vernieri's murder "brutal and senseless."

Rochat continues to maintain his innocence, telling the court during the hearing that he did not kill Vernieri.

"Justice has not been served," Rochat said. "The person who did this brutal murder has eluded justice."

Rochat's mother, Janet, spoke on behalf of her son, speaking of the familial connection her son had with Vernieri and how they had a "warm and loving relationship." She believed law enforcement misinterpreted his visit to Vernieri two days before she was murdered and there was a "less than thorough investigation."

"Not only did Dan deserve a better investigation, but so did Barbara," Janet Rochat said.

A number of Vernieri's relatives, including her daughter Anne Scanlon, gave victim impact statements and all of them asked Kazlau to impose the maximum sentence on Rochat.

Scanlon told the court her family would "never recover" from the horrific and tragic events of Sept. 14, 2012. She spoke of how she had to tell her daughter, who was 10 years old at the time, and her 5-year-old autistic, nonverbal son, that their grandmother was gone. Scanlon recounted all the precious milestones her mother was deprived of such as her daughter's musical performances, graduations and white coat ceremony for medical school. She said her mother did not get the chance to see how much her son has grown into a man.

"It's a true tragedy for him to not have her by his side," Scanlon said. "Rochat not only took my mother's life, he took a piece of mine."

She said the loss of her mother has made it difficult to be the wife and mother she once was and that all of life's events "will always be tinged with sadness."

"The passage of time does not diminish the brutality of the crime," Scanlon said, telling Rochat she never wants to see him again or waste another moment thinking of him.

Prior to the sentencing Anthony Pope, an attorney for Rochat, and the prosecution argued a motion for a new trial which was denied by Kazlau, who said there was more than enough evidence for a jury to infer from and find Rochat guilty. Pope said his client maintains his innocence.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ man gets life in prison after being found guilty for second time in murder of realtor