Naman Shrestha
In 2003, when the news of the murder of 24-year-old wife and mother, Krista DiFrancesco, hit the news, it sent shockwaves across the entire community of Evesham Township, New Jersey, instilling a sense of fear and concern into the inhabitants of the area. It took multiple cases of attempted murders for the police to get to the bottom of the case and capture the perpetrator. The entire spree of murder and attempted murders around 2003 is explored in detail in Investigation Discovery’s ‘Before They Kill Again: Creeping Up on You.’ The episode also consists of interviews with the survivors, victim’s loved ones, and officials directly or indirectly linked to the investigation.
Krista DiFrancesco Was Murdered Right Outside Her Residence
It was on October 12, 1978, when Krista Nicole Yarnes DiFrancesco was brought into the world by Pleiade Schaper and Robert Yarnes. Born and brought up in Marlton, New Jersey, alongside a brother named Keith and sister Carol Hieber, Krista went to Cherokee High School. Since she was an integral part of the Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams of the high school, she was quite popular among her peers. In 1996, she graduated from high school with flying colors and had dreams of finding success in life. Having found the love of her life in William, Krista tied the knot with him in her early 20s.
The newly married couple soon became parents to an adorable daughter, whom they named Kendalyn. With so much to look forward to, little did the 24-year-old doting mother know that fate had other plans for her. On May 9, 2003, she went on a night out with her friends and had a memorable time with them. However, upon returning to her Evesham Township residence in the early morning hours of May 10, 2003, she was ambushed from behind, just a few feet away from her house, where her husband and 10-month-old daughter waited for her. She was found sexually assaulted and brutally stabbed multiple times on her front lawn, and a couple of days later, she succumbed to her injuries. Without wasting any time, the police launched a homicide investigation and began inspecting the crime scene and her body.
Krista DiFrancesco Was One of the Several Victims of a Teenage Serial Killer
Despite the best efforts of the detectives over the next few months, the killer of Krista DiFrancesco remained at large. Every other clue they had led to a dead end. In November 2003, the killer struck again, but this time, he left a survivor. Nancy Clark was attacked in a similar fashion and was left to die. Fortunately, she managed to survive and told the authorities all about the incident. She even helped them draw a composite sketch of her attacker, which turned out to be one of the two major components that helped crack the case. The other key piece of evidence was the cigarette butt found at the scene of Nancy Clark’s attempted murder.
As the investigators tested the DNA found on the cigarette butt, they were led to an 18-year-old man named Christopher Kornberger. In May 2004, when the police brought him in for questioning, the suspect confessed to murdering 24-year-old Krista and attacking Nancy. During his confession, he also went into the specifics of his crimes. He told the detectives, “Crept up behind (DiFrancesco) about five steps from her door … stabbed her in the shoulder area, and then the face … how scared she looked … she turned and began to scream and kick … heard her screams and waited in a bush before returning to her body to rape her … I just went ballistic.”
Feeling guilty of his crimes, he also said, “I deserve to die. I really do. I can’t imagine me doing this. I can’t. But I know I did it. I never wanted to kill anyone. I just wanted to have sex. Whatever I had to do to get it, I just did.” Besides the murder of Krista and the attempted murder of Nancy, Christopher also reportedly confessed to the attempted murder of Elisabeth Loetzner-Jung in August 2003 and a couple of women in Waterford Township, New Jersey, in February and March 2003.
Christopher Kornberger is Serving His Sentence at a New Jersey Prison Facility
At first, Christopher Kornberger was held accountable for the crimes he committed in Waterford Township as the county judge ruled that his entire confession was voluntary and not coerced in any manner. Thus, in 2007, he was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison. The following year, his trial for the murder of Krista DiFrancesco commenced. Finally, after nearly five years, in March 2008, Christopher was convicted of her rape and murder, in addition to a sexually-motivated attack on Elisabeth Loetzner-Jung. As for his attack on Nancy Clark, he pleaded guilty. Three months later, on July 2, 2008, the convict received a life imprisonment sentence in addition to a 51-year sentence for his violent and sexual crimes against Krista, Nancy, and Elizabeth.
He was ordered to first finish serving his previous 18-year sentence before starting his life term. In total, he was sentenced to 126 years in prison. After the sentencing, the killer’s parents claimed that their son was innocent and expressed their desire to appeal the decision. His mother, Debbie Kornberger, stated, “I think there’s more to the story than what came out.” After about seven years, Christopher Kornberger filed an appeal and post-conviction relief petitions in the Superior Court of both counties. However, the State Appellate Division denied his appeal and upheld his conviction. As of today, the perpetrator is incarcerated at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, New Jersey, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for February 2113.
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