Police in California have released video footage showing slain teen Marissa DiNapoli’s final moments before her death, as she left her former boyfriend’s Morgan Hill area home.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police arrested Martin Mendoza Jr., 20, Sunday, on suspicion of murdering his ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old DiNapoli. The U.S. Marshals detained Mendoza in Calexico, California, as he attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico.
Action News 8 obtained a video of Mendoza Jr. and DiNapoli leaving his residence on June 29 at 9:45 a.m. The next day, witnesses saw Mendoza leaving the house with a plastic bag. It was the same day police received a report of DiNapoli’s disappearance.
Two days later, searchers utilizing a drone spotted DiNapoli’s body at Anderson Lake County Park, hidden under a bridge.
The coroner’s office has yet to release DiNapoli’s cause of death, and police have not determined a motive. DiNapoli, however, reportedly told loved ones that Mendoza, said to be her former boyfriend who she reconnected with as friends in May, had threatened her and made her feel unsafe.
“Marissa has told me, firsthand in the car with my friends outside my house, that he would kill her, that he would not stop, that he’s obsessed with her, that he’s crazy and that he’s willing to go to that extent,” friend Jaslyn Gutierrez said, NBC Bay Area reports.
Mendoza Jr. is expected to be extradited to Santa Clara County. The district attorney’s office stated that he could face arraignment on a murder charge by Wednesday.
“While Mendoza’s arrest may bring a measure of relief, it does not ease the heartbreak we all continue to feel,” Morgan Hill Police said in a statement. “Marissa was a radiant, compassionate young woman with a future full of promise.”
Anyone with information on the case should contact Detective Kyle Tolentino at (669) 253-4962, or email kyle.tolentino@morganhill.ca.gov. Anonymous tips should be sent to or by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS.
[Feature Photo: Marissa DiNapoli/Instagram]
