Long Branch Man Gets 30 Years In State Prison For Aggravated Sexual Assault Of Seven-Year-Old Girl

Edgar Mejia will spend the next 30 years in state prison for the aggravated sexual assault of a seven-year-old girl in an Eatontown bedroom back in the summer of 2014, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Edgar Mejia, 55, of Long Branch, was sentenced Thursday by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman. Mejia was convicted of first degree aggravated sexual assault and third degree endangering the welfare of a child on Nov. 16, 2016 after a month-long trial.

The endangering the welfare of child charge was merged into the aggravated sexual assault conviction for sentencing purposes.

The victim was alone in a bedroom with the defendant when Mejia assaulted her. The little girl reported the incident to her mother on the same evening and her mother called police.

The investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Victims Bureau and Eatontown Police Department. Mejia was arrested on July 21, 2014.

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 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, Gramiccioni said.

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. Mejia will have to serve a minimum of 25 years, 6 months and 2 days in prison before he is eligible for parole.

Mejia must also register pursuant to Megan’s Law and will be placed on parole supervision for life upon his release from state prison, Gramiccioni said.

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