Marissa DiNapoli: Morgan Hill woman stabbed five times in back by boyfriend, prosecutors allege
Suspect in Morgan Hill teen murder in court; victim stabbed 5 times in the back
Martin Mendoza, Junior, charged with first degree murder in the case of Marissa Dianpoli in Morgan Hill. Friends say Dinaopli was trying to break up with him at the time of her death.
MORGAN HILL, Calif. - Prosecutors allege an 18-year-old Morgan Hill woman whose body was discovered last week near the Anderson River was stabbed five times in the back by her boyfriend.
Victim was confronted by boyfriend
What we know:
According to court documents, on June 29, Marissa DiNapoli was confronted by her boyfriend, 20-year-old Martin Mendoza—whom she had spent the night with—about contacting her ex-boyfriend.
That same day, DiNapoli and Mendoza were seen on home surveillance video getting ready to leave a home on Trail Drive in Morgan Hill, where Mendoza was renting a room.
DiNapoli appeared visibly apprehensive in the video, prosecutors said.
Cellphone data from that day later placed the couple in the area of Anderson Lake.
Timeline of disappearance and when victim was found
The backstory:
Her family reported her missing on Monday, June 30, after she failed to return home on Sunday as planned. Relatives said they had not heard from her since June 28, which they said was unusual.
She also failed to show up for her shift at Starbucks.
Her car was found unoccupied near Mendoza’s home on July 1.
Multiple phone calls to both DiNapoli and Mendoza went straight to voicemail, and text messages were unanswered.
DiNapoli’s body was discovered on July 2 by a drone near the Woodchopper’s Flat Picnic Area, according to police. The clothing she was wearing matched what she had on in the surveillance footage. She was also wearing a black necklace with a cross, which matched a photo provided to police by her family.
Stabbed five times in the back
Dig deeper:
Prosecutors allege Mendoza stabbed DiNapoli multiple times in the back, killing her.
Authorities said there were prior unreported incidents of domestic violence in which Mendoza had assaulted DiNapoli.
Mendoza made his first court appearance Tuesday in Santa Clara County, where he was arraigned on suspicion of murder.
Outside the courthouse, family members and friends of DiNapoli rallied to make sure justice is done in the case.
"We are really honored to have all of this support and the attention, especially because things like this sometimes don’t get the attention that it deserves," said the victim's older sister, Monice Ramirez. "Sometimes things don’t go the way that we hope. So, I am really grateful that the community is still sticking around.
The appearance of Mendoza follows his arrest by federal officers on Sunday while trying to re-enter the United States from Mexico.
Authorities said Mendoza drove across the San Ysidro border on July 1, then attempted to return to the U.S. on Sunday, when he was taken into custody.
He was later transferred to Santa Clara County from Imperial County. Mendoza's preliminary hearing will be held on September 9th.
DiNapoli’s family believes the Morgan Hill Police Department mishandled the investigation into her disappearance, alleging that officers confronted Mendoza in person but did not arrest or detain him for questioning.
They said Mendoza fled within hours of that encounter.
The family also said Mendoza was only arrested by chance while trying to cross back into the U.S., a week after Marissa’s death.
"We believe racial and systemic bias contributed to their inaction — costing us precious time. Their delay compromised not just Marissa's safety, but the public safety as a whole," the family said in a statement.
They are calling for an independent investigation into the case and a formal audit of the Morgan Hill Police Department’s response.
"We’re not here to comment or judge the way someone grieves, and this is a very tough situation," said Morgan Hill police Capt. Mario Ramirez. "They lost a loved one, so if the anger is towards us, then the anger is towards us."
The Source: Santa Clara County DA, previous reporting