An Arizona court has denied an appeal of a man convicted in multiple high-profile burglaries in Phoenix suburbs, ruling that an otherwise unknown defendant can be indicted even when identified only by a DNA profile.
The state Court of Appeals' ruling Thursday denied Robert James Neese's appeal in the so-called "rock burglar" cases involving break-ins in Carefree and Scottsdale as far back as 1999.
Prosecutors didn't have a name to go with DNA evidence in the case, and they resorted to the DNA-only identification in 2005 to avoid having the statute of limitations expire in some cases.
The indictment was refiled under Neese's name in 2011 when investigators were able to link Neese to the crimes.
The Arizona ruling follows the lead of courts in multiple other states.
