Long Branch Man Gets 30 Years For Sexually Assaulting 7 Year Old Girl

Edgar Mejia, 55, of Long Branch, was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey state prison for the 2014 sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl in Eatontown, according to a statement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Mejia was convicted by a Monmouth County Jury on November 16, 2016 of convicted of first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault and third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.  Judge David F. Bauman imposed the sentence on Thursday, April 20.  The charges were merged for sentencing.

The 7 year old victim, while at a relative’s house, was alone in a bedroom with the Mejia when he touched the victim’s intimate parts and committed an act of sexual penetration on her.

The same evening, the victim reported the incident to her mother. The victim was later examined at the hospital, prompting an investigation by the Eatontown Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Victims Bureau.  As a result of that investigation, Mejia was arrested, charged and convicted.

Mejia was sentenced pursuant to the provisions of the Jessica Lunsford Act. The Jessica Lunsford Act came in to effect on May 15, 2014 and requires that anyone convicted of an Aggravated Sexual Assault under N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(1), receive a sentence of 25 years to life in a New Jersey state prison with a minimum of 25 years of parole ineligibility. This was the first sentence following a trial pursuant to the Jessica Lunsford Act in Monmouth County. Mejia was also sentenced subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires he serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Therefore, Mejia will have to serve a minimum of 25 years, 6 months and 2 days in prison before he is eligible for parole.

The defendant is also required to register pursuant to Megan’s Law and will be placed on Parole Supervision for Life upon his release from state prison.

The case was prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Ellyn Rajfer. The defendant was represented by Ryan Moriarty, Esq. of Freehold.