Masked Man That Tied Up NJ Couple, Held Them At Knifepoint In Home ID'd Through DNA Test, Police Said

EVESHAM, NJ — A man accused of attacking a married couple during an armed home invasion several months ago in Evesham has been identified through DNA evidence and arrested, authorities said.

A DNA test helped authorities pinpoint Edwin Dillard as the masked suspect behind the Feb. 27 incident. Dillard was arrested Tuesday at his Bellmawr home and faces several charges, including first-degree home invasion and robbery.

Evesham police were called about a physical struggle in progress at a Dana Road home just after 9:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Patrol officers reached the house within minutes, but the suspect fled through the back door as they arrived, police said.

The first-arriving officer tried to get in contact with the homeowners at the front door to see if an emergency was still underway. The husband and wife answered and told police that an unknown assailant entered their home and tried to rob them before escaping.

The victims told police that the suspect attacked the husband as he retrieved his trash cans from the curb. The assault continued inside the garage, which the wife entered when she heard the physical altercation, police said.

The suspect, armed with a "box cutter-type knife," forced the couple into their home and tried to restrain them with rope, police said. He wore all dark clothing and a ski mask during the incident, according to law enforcement.

Police established a perimeter and conducted a K-9 search for the suspect. But they determined that he had already fled the area by car.

Evidence from the scene was submitted to a State Police lab for a DNA test, which later identified Dillard as a match.

Dillard, 62, was arrested Tuesday at his Bellmawr home without incident and placed in Burlington County Jail, police said.

He was charged with home invasion (first-degree), robbery (first-degree), aggravated assault (third-degree), criminal restraint (third-degree) and weapons offenses.

Online court records didn't list an attorney for Dillard on Friday.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information on this incident can contact Evesham police in any of the following ways:

• call the Evesham Police Department at 856-983-1116
• call the EPD's confidential tip line at 856-983-4699
• email MahanD@eveshampd.org
• text an anonymous tip by texting ETPDTIP to 847411