Trenton Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Aggravated Sexual Assault

A Trenton man was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for the aggravated sexual assault of a young girl, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced.

Taalibdin Shakir, 46, was sentenced by Mercer County Superior Court J. Adams Hughes on May 17.  A jury convicted Shakir guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault in August 2023 following a two-week trial.  He was found guilty of sexually assaulting the victim in Trenton on June 21, 2022, when she was under the age of 13. 

Under the No Early Release Act, Shakir must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence before he is eligible for parole.  After completion of his prison term, he will be subject to Megan’s Law requirements as well as parole supervision for life.

Mercer County Executive Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Ward and Assistant Prosecutor Christian E. Fisher prosecuted the case for the state. 

The investigation was led by Detective Brianna Fleming of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit and Detective Gloria Phillips of the Trenton Police Department.  The defendant was represented at trial by Deputy Public Defender Melissa Karabalut and at sentencing by Mark Fury, Esquire.