Hamilton Township Man Found Guilty On Multiple Counts Of Aggravated Sexual Assault Following Two-Week Trial Detailing Decade-Long Abuse Of A Juvenile Victim

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 7:30 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ.- A Mercer County jury has convicted a Hamilton Township man on multiple charges of aggravated sexual assault and child endangerment after hearing testimony describing a decade-long pattern of abuse against a juvenile victim.

     Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey announced that on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, a jury found Jose Membreno-Aguilar, 51, of Hamilton Township, New Jersey, guilty on all counts contained in a Mercer County indictment. The charges included 10 counts of first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault and one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

     The verdict followed a two-week trial in Mercer County Superior Court before Judge Robert E. Lytle, during which the victim testified and described a continuing course of sexual abuse by the defendant spanning approximately 10 years.

     According to prosecutors, the victim provided testimony detailing repeated abuse over the course of a decade. Out of respect for the victim’s privacy and the sensitive nature of the crimes, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office stated that additional details concerning the incidents are not being publicly disclosed.

     The state was represented at trial by Mercer County Assistant Prosecutors Brett Berman and Erin Rein, who presented witness testimony and evidence to the jury over the two-week proceedings.

     The investigation was led by members of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, including Detectives Natalie Martinez and Gloria Phillips, working in partnership with the Hamilton Township Police Division.

     Authorities also credited several additional law-enforcement officers and medical professionals whose work was instrumental to the investigation and prosecution of the case. Those individuals include Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Nadine Elhage, Hamilton Township Detective Edward Devine, Hamilton Officers Ernest Baeza and Alyssa Aquino, Robbinsville Detective Robert Quinn, and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Jessica Ward, who assisted in the investigation and evidence collection.

     Membreno-Aguilar is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2026, in Mercer County Superior Court.

     Under New Jersey’s “Jessica Lunsford Act,” individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses against children under the age of 13 face enhanced mandatory penalties. If sentenced under the statute, Membreno-Aguilar could face a minimum sentence ranging from 25 years to life in New Jersey State Prison.

     In addition to incarceration, a conviction on these offenses carries mandatory sex offender registration under Megan’s Law, as well as Parole Supervision for Life, which subjects offenders to long-term monitoring and restrictions following any future release from custody.

     The case represents one of the most serious categories of criminal offenses prosecuted in New Jersey courts and highlights the coordinated investigative efforts of county prosecutors, municipal police departments, and specialized medical professionals tasked with investigating crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors.

     Sentencing will ultimately be determined by the court following consideration of statutory sentencing guidelines, aggravating and mitigating factors, and arguments presented by both prosecutors and defense counsel.

Editor’s Note:

Englebrook Independent News does not publish identifying information about victims of sexual assault, particularly when the victim is a minor. Certain investigative details are withheld in this report in accordance with privacy protections for victims and longstanding journalistic standards governing coverage of sexual assault cases.