Two Indicted In Murder of NJIT Student From Freehold Township

NEWARK, NJ — Two men have been indicted in connection with the May murder of a New Jersey Institute of Technology student from Freehold Township, authorities say.

An Essex County grand jury indicted Nafee Cotman, 19, of Irvington and Taquan Harris, 22, of Newark, in the murder of Joseph Micalizzi, 23, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.

According to prosecutors, Micalizzi was fatally shot on May 2 during a burglary at the Tau Kappa Epsilon off-campus fraternity house located in the 300 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Newark.

Micalizzi, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, was inside the Tau Kappa Epsilon house when the intruders entered through a rear door; after a struggle, they fired multiple shots, hitting Micalizzi in the hand and head, according to NJ.com.

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Micalizzi's obituary, published on the Obit Tree website, said he graduated from Howell High School in 2011, where he had been enrolled in the Fine and Performing Arts Academy, known as FPAC. Micalizzi also was a wrestler and a member of the National Honor Society. He attended Brookdale Community College before transferring to NJIT and had made the dean’s list and had been inducted to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

• See related article: Man Killed In N.J. College Fraternity House Shooting

Tributes were set up for Micalizzi, who had transferred from Brookdale Community College and was a beloved member of the TKE fraternity. Some of his Facebook friends changed their profile photos to the TKE symbol as a tribute.

Shortly after the incident, NJIT offered an award of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case.

“I am saddened to inform you that the student shot early this morning during a burglary has died,” the school's president, Joel Bloom, stated at the time. “This is a tragic time for the student's family, friends and the entire NJIT campus and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all affected.”

Cotman and Harris are charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, burglary, unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, prosecutors stated.

The two men are expected to be arraigned on the charges in the indictment on Oct. 17. Both remain at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark as of Wednesday.

With primary reporting by Eric Kiefer (Patch Staff)

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