Accused killer Martin Mendoza was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on Monday, following his arrest at the Mexico border on Sunday, according to jail records. He is the ex-boyfriend and primary suspect in the death of 18-year-old Marissa DiNapoli of Morgan Hill.
DiNapoli’s body was found under a bridge near Anderson Lake last Wednesday, several days after she went missing over the weekend. Home security camera footage showed her in the company of Mendoza, who confronted her over a text she had sent to another man. The posted video clips prompted a community-wide effort to find Marissa and locate Mendoza.
Mendoza was apprehended by U.S. Marshalls upon returning from Mexico to the U.S., according to Morgan Hill Police, who coordinated an investigation that involved 15 law enforcement agencies, including the Santa Clara County District Attorney and Sheriff’s Offices, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Office and the Gilroy and San Jose Police Departments.
Meanwhile, the grieving family of Marissa DiNapoli posted a petition on change.org calling for an investigation of the Morgan Hill Police Department and its handling of the case, accusing the department of racial bias.
“In the most critical early hours of Marissa’s disappearance, the Morgan Hill Police Department failed to respond with the urgency the situation demanded,” the petition reads.
According to the petition:
- The day after Marissa was reported missing, her sister Monicia Ramirez provided police with the exact location of Martin Mendoza Jr., the last person seen with Marissa.
- Officers confronted Mendoza in person — yet did not arrest or detain him for questioning.
- He fled within hours of that encounter.
- Days later, a community member, not the police, discovered Marissa’s body.
- Mendoza was only apprehended by accident, attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border a week after Marissa’s death.
“We believe this inaction was not only unacceptable — it was dangerous. We believe that racial and systemic bias played a role in the failure to act,” it said.
The petition had 3,134 signatures as of 6am Tuesday.
I can see this happening…don’t ask too many questions.