A former Trenton teacher and middle school basketball coach pleaded guilty this week to sexually assaulting a student over a period of several years, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey announced.
Darrell R. Moody, 52, of Plainfield, pleaded guilty May 19 before Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert E. Lytle to one count of second-degree sexual assault.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a five-year state prison sentence subject to the No Early Release Act. Moody will also be required to undergo evaluation at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenal.
In addition, Moody will be subject to parole supervision for life, must register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, and will surrender any teaching certifications while forfeiting future public employment.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation began in May 2024 after the victim contacted Trenton police to report sexual assaults that began while the victim was in middle school.
Authorities said the victim first met Moody when Moody was teaching fifth grade at Parker Elementary School. Investigators determined the assaults continued over several years, from middle school through high school. During that time, Moody also coached basketball at Joyce Kilmer Middle School.
As part of the guilty plea, Moody admitted that between September 2013 and February 2014 he engaged in sexual contact with the victim on numerous occasions while the victim was his student.
Moody is also awaiting sentencing in a separate Middlesex County case filed in June 2023, where he was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree solicitation of a minor for prostitution.
Moody is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 4, 2026.
