Norman Mosley was shot and killed by intruders inside his home in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township in September 2016.
Multiple detectives from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Pemberton Township Police Department were assigned to the case, but the intensive investigation failed to produce any arrests. Until now.
Following Mosley’s death, in a small room on the second floor of the Burlington County Courts Facility in Mount Holly, lead BCPO Detective Anthony J. Luyber met with Tamara Burrows, Mosley’s mother, and promised her that he would continue to vigorously investigate the case until those responsible for killing her son were identified and brought to justice.
As they spoke regularly throughout the next several years, on multiple occasions Mrs. Burrows told Luyber – now the BCPO Chief of Detectives – that she was praying for the investigators assigned to the case. Nine years after Mosley’s life was taken during the home invasion, her prayers have come true. Mrs. Burrows now has justice for her son.
After an unrelenting investigation spanning nearly a decade, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Pemberton Township Police Department Chief Jonathan Glass are pleased to announce that two men have been charged with the death of Mosley, 37, who was fatally shot after intruders wearing masks entered the Alfred Drive trailer he shared with his girlfriend just before 10 p.m. on September 25, 2016.
On the night of the incident, a violent struggle ensued after the invasion and shots were fired, striking Mosley twice. He was driven by his girlfriend to Capital Health at Deborah – Emergency Services, where he died approximately an hour later. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined the cause of death was from gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
“We are thrilled to finally bring justice to the Mosley family,” Prosecutor Bradshaw said. “The public is conditioned by crime shows to believe that the challenges of criminal investigations always fall into place immediately, but nothing could be further from the truth.”
Kevin D’Costa, 45, of Irvington and Daemen Hodge, 32, of Browns Mills were charged with Felony Murder (First Degree), Robbery (First Degree), Conspiracy (First Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree) and Certain Persons Not to Possess Firearms (Second Degree).
D’Costa was served with his warrant last month inside the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, where he was lodged on unrelated charges. Hodge was apprehended Friday morning in Bordentown Township at his girlfriend’s residence and lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly pending a first appearance in Superior Court. The case will now be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Following Mosley’s homicide, a wide perimeter was established around the crime scene and extensively searched for physical evidence. Among the items collected were gloves found along a roadway.
The break in the case came after advancements in forensic technology enabled enhanced DNA testing to be conducted on the gloves. The test results revealed the presence of DNA not only from D’Costa and Hodge, but Mosley as well. The ongoing investigation had already identified them as the killers. The forensic evidence bolstered the case and enabled homicide warrants to be secured from a Superior Court judge.
Norman Mosley’s family never lost hope that those responsible for his murder would be caught. Since his death, the family and their supporters have regularly attended the Prosecutor’s Office candlelight vigil for crime victims, showing up in force, carrying banners and wearing shirts that displayed Mosley’s photo.
“We drew strength from the family’s support as we continued to investigate this case,” Prosecutor Bradshaw said. “It was uncharacteristic and greatly appreciated. We will continue our tenacious investigative approach to find those who commit violent crimes and hold them accountable for the carnage they have caused.”
The investigation was conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Pemberton Township Police Department, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences. The lead investigators were BCPO Chief of Detectives Anthony J. Luyber and PTDP Captain Jay Luis. The defendants will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Robert Van Gilst, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit.
Agencies that assisted in the apprehension of Hodge included the Burlington County Sheriff’s Office, the New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.