CHARLOTTE
A man has been sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison after new DNA evidence tied him to the 1995 slaying of a woman who rejected him.
The Charlotte Observer reported that 44-year-old Jeffrey Barton pleaded Thursday to killing 20-year-old Rachel Dietrich. Barton entered an Alford plea, which concedes there is enough evidence for a conviction without admitting guilt.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police used DNA technology unavailable 14 years ago to identify Barton from cells found under Dietrich's fingernails.
Dietrich was killed less than a month after moving with her boyfriend from Pennsylvania to Charlotte.
Barton had been Dietrich's boss at a cleaning company and had tried to start a relationship with her.
Dietrich was reported missing from her job guarding utility trucks for a private security company.
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