Atlantic City man faces 20 years for 2023 fatal stabbing of juvenile
The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 16, 2023.
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A 19-year-old Atlantic City man pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated manslaughter in the 2023 stabbing death of a juvenile at an apartment complex.
Trumaine Clements entered the plea, admitting to first-degree aggravated manslaughter, third-degree terroristic threats, and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Clements faces an aggregate sentence of 20 years in New Jersey State Prison.
The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 16, 2023. At approximately 10:40 p.m., Atlantic City police and county detectives responded to a stabbing at the Carver Hall Apartments.
Officers and paramedics attempted life-saving measures on a juvenile victim who had been stabbed in the torso, but the victim was pronounced dead the following morning.
An investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office's Major Crimes Unit utilized surveillance footage to reconstruct the attack. The video showed Clements exiting his apartment to meet the victim at an adjacent building before stabbing them. The footage then captured Clements fleeing back into his own residence.
Police apprehended Clements at his apartment within minutes of the attack and recovered the murder weapon from his pocket.
Though Clements was a juvenile at the time of his arrest, his legal troubles continued while he was detained at the Atlantic County Juvenile Detention Center in Egg Harbor City. On March 8, 2025, he was charged with criminal mischief after repeatedly kicking and breaking a secured door to his room. Less than two weeks later, he was charged with terroristic threats for threatening to shoot a youth worker in the face.
Clements remains in custody pending his formal sentencing, which is scheduled for July 10.
