In the early morning hours of May 2, 2016, a promising young man's life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence. Joseph Micalizzi, a 23-year-old male student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, was fatally shot during a robbery at his fraternity house in Newark, New Jersey. The mechanical engineering major was in his second year at NJIT after transferring from Brookdale Community College and had made the dean's list.
The incident unfolded at approximately 3:15 a.m.
inside the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Two men, identified as Taquan Harris and Nafee Cotman, broke into the residence with the intention of robbing the students inside. They made their way to the third floor, where Micalizzi and his roommate were studying. A confrontation and struggle ensued, during which Harris shot Micalizzi three times. The assailants then fled the scene. Micalizzi was rushed to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation led by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office moved swiftly. Within days, authorities announced charges against 18-year-old Nafee Cotman of Irvington and 22-year-old Taquan Harris of Newark. Cotman was arrested, while a manhunt was launched for Harris, who was apprehended shortly thereafter. Both men were charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, burglary, and weapons offenses. Investigators stated that the fraternity house was targeted randomly by the suspects, who were seeking cash.
In October 2018, as their trial was set to begin, both men accepted plea agreements. Taquan Harris pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and illegal possession of a weapon. Nafee Cotman pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree armed robbery. In February 2019, Harris was sentenced to 26 years in New Jersey State Prison for the fatal shooting. Cotman received a 12-year sentence for his role in the deadly robbery.
