Newark Man Who Fatally Shot NJIT Student Gets 26 Years In Jail

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark man will serve more than two decades in jail for the fatal shooting of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) student Joseph Micalizzi, 23, of Freehold.

Taquan Harris, 24, of Newark was sentenced to 26 years in New Jersey state prison for fatally shooting Micalizzi during a robbery at a fraternity house in Newark in 2016, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday.

Nafee Cotman, 21, of Newark, was also sentenced to 12 years for his role in the fatal robbery, prosecutors said.

Under the No Early Release Act, both Harris and Cotman must serve 85 percent of their respective sentences before becoming eligible for parole. Both have already been in jail for over 1,000 days, said Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant, who handled the case.

Plant said that Micalizzi was “an extraordinary young man,” evidenced by the fact that more than 1,400 people attended his wake.

“He made an impact,” Plant said of Micalizzi, who was studying mechanical engineering at the time of his death.

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. 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.

According to Essex County prosecutors, Micalizzi was fatally shot when Harris and Cotman broke into the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on Martin Luther King Boulevard on May 2, 2016 at 3:15 a.m. with plans to rob students.

Prosecutors said that Harris and Cotman went to the third floor, where Micalizzi and his roommate were studying. During a confrontation and struggle, Harris shot Micalizzi three times.

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

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Harris and Cotman entered guilty pleas in October 2018, with Harris pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter and illegal possession of a weapon. A murder charge against him was dismissed, prosecutors said.

Cotman pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree armed robbery. All other charges against him were dismissed, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, prior to the shooting, Harris had one juvenile case which resulted in him being put in a diversionary program. As an adult he was arrested six times, but was never convicted.

Cotman had 10 cases as a juvenile and was arrested on five occasions as an adult, but had no adult convictions, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that prior to sentencing on Feb. 6, Harris sought to withdraw his plea, but Judge Ronald Wigler rejected the motion, saying Harris had “knowingly and voluntarily” entered his guilty plea.

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Photo of Joseph Micalizzi via YouTube / ComputerTechMaster19