A 20-year-old man in California has been charged with murder for killing his girlfriend last week after confronting her about talking to an ex-boyfriend.
Security footage shows the teen victim’s final moments with the suspect before he stabbed her in the back nearly half a dozen times and left her to die at a nearby lake, according to cops.
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Martin Mendoza Jr., 20, was seen on Ring footage obtained by local NBC and ABC affiliate KSBW leaving a Morgan Hill residence with Marissa DiNapoli, 18, just one day before she was reported missing and two days before her body was discovered at Anderson Lake on July 2.
Mendoza’s criminal complaint, obtained by Law&Crime on Tuesday, describes what was happening in the footage and what allegedly occurred between Mendoza and DiNapoli prior to her murder.
“Marissa and Martin were walking down the stairs together while Martin was confronting her about contacting her ex-boyfriend,” according to the complaint. “Marissa’s facial expression was visibly apprehensive in the video footage.”
According to the complaint, the Ring camera captured the couple on video on June 29, and cellphone ping data showed DiNapoli and Mendoza leaving the residence around 9:45 a.m. that morning.
“At approximately 0952 hours, Marissa’s cell phone pings showed it to be traveling east on E. Dunne Avenue toward Anderson Lake,” according to the complaint!
Between 9:58 and 10:04 a.m., both Marissa and Martin’s cellphones were allegedly discovered near Anderson Lake. According to the complaint, both phones traveled west on E. Dunne Avenue at Thomas Grade before coming to a stop near E. Dunne Avenue and Heritage Green Park around 10:14 a.m.
“At approximately 1018 hours, Martin’s vehicle was captured traveling westbound on E. Dunne Avenue at Hwy 101,” according to law enforcement. “It was around this same time that Marissa’s phone last showed activity.”
DiNapoli did not show up for her shift at Starbucks later that day, and her coworkers told cops she “almost always worked the PM shift.” A missing person report was filed on June 30.
On July 1, Mendoza’s vehicle was captured on video attempting to leave the United States and enter Mexico at the San Ysidro border. DiNapoli’s body was discovered a day later, and Mendoza was arrested when he attempted to return to the United States on July 6.
“Marissa was found with five stab wounds to her back,” according to the complaint. “In subsequent interviews with family members, it was disclosed that there were multiple prior unreported incidents of domestic violence where Martin physically assaulted Marissa.”
Mendoza was charged on Tuesday with murder with the use of a deadly weapon, with aggravating circumstances such as great bodily injury (GBI), being armed or using a weapon, targeting a vulnerable victim, and abusing a position of trust. He was ordered detained without bond and did not enter a plea.
