The man who allegedly killed 18-year-old Morgan Hill resident Marissa DiNapoli has been charged with murder as new details emerge about the case, according to Santa Clara County court records.
Martin Mendoza Jr., 20, has been charged with one count of murder, with prosecutors alleging that he killed DiNapoli with “malice aforethought,” according to court documents. She died due to five stab wounds in her back.
DiNapoli was found deceased last week near Anderson Lake after being reported missing several days earlier. Mendoza was arrested earlier this week while crossing the border from Mexico back into the United States.
On June 28, DiNapoli had told her family that she was spending the night at a friend’s house. Her family reported her missing after she did not return home when she said she would and did not respond to texts and calls. She was last seen around 9:45 a.m. on June 29 with Mendoza, authorities said.
On July 2, the Morgan Hill Police Department was notified that a body had been found at Woodchoppers Flat Picnic area, according to court filings. Officers and the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office responded to the reported location, where they found a “young woman wearing identical clothing as Marissa as seen on the surveillance footage,” according to court documents.
The deceased woman was also wearing a black necklace with a cross that family said belonged to DiNapoli, according to court documents.
“Witness interviews and forensic evidence support our conclusion that Martin Mendoza, Jr. stabbed and killed Marissa DiNapoli,” a police officer said in the statement of facts.
Mendoza’s murder charge also has five allegations of aggravated circumstances, according to court documents.
Prosecutors allege that Mendoza acted with a “deadly and dangerous weapon” – the knife – and that his acts involved “a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness,” according to court filings. They also allege that DiNapoli was a “particularly vulnerable” victim and that Mendoza “took advantage of a position of trust or confidence.” The final aggravating allegation is Mendoza’s use of a weapon.
DiNapoli’s family has started an online petition calling for a formal audit and independent investigation into the Morgan Hill Police Department’s handling of DiNapoli’s case, alleging that the department did not “respond with the urgency the situation demanded.”
The family specifically expressed concerns that the department had Mendoza’s exact location one day after DiNapoli was reported missing and that officers spoke to Mendoza but did not detain him before he was able to flee. They added that DiNapoli’s body was found by a community member and that Mendoza was apprehended “by accident” while trying to cross the border, according to the petition.
“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,” the petition reads. “Marissa’s life mattered. Our community deserves answers. Her story must lead to real change.”
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DiNapoli was the youngest of eight siblings and was adopted into the DiNapoli family through child welfare services, her family said in the petition.
MHPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Mendoza was being held at Santa Clara County Main Jail without bail. He is set to appear in court for his plea hearing Sept. 9 at 1:30 p.m.