After seven days of deliberations, a federal jury Tuesday convicted South Bay resident David Enrique Meza of murdering his wealthy boyfriend in Mexico in order to inherit his estate.
The eight woman, four man jury also convicted Meza, 26, of conspiracy to obstruct justice in which he used his pregnant girlfriend to arrange for an alibi at the time Jake Clyde Merendino, 52, was killed on May 2, 2015.
Sentencing was set for Aug. 7 by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller. Meza faces a life sentence in federal prison.
“David Meza took the life of a man who cared for him, lavished him with expensive gifts and who wanted to create a life with him,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson.
“On this day, the second anniversary of Jake Merendino’s death, we salute the jury for delivering justice to a greedy killer who will now have to answer for his cruelty,” said Robinson.
Merendino was stabbed 22 times and his throat was slashed twice around 2 a.m. off a darkened road near Rosarito in Baja California. He was attacked after he got out of his Range Rover as Meza had called him to say his motorcycle had broken down there. His body was dragged into a ravine.
Meza produced a handwritten, 1-page will that was on the stationary of the Hercor Hotel in Chula Vista where Meza and Merendino sometimes stayed. He mailed it to the probate court in Galvaston, Texas.
Jurors got to view the will. It said “I leave everything to David E. Meza,” and someone signed Merendino’s name.
Merendino had already prepared a will in 1998 and instructed an attorney to donate his estate to worthy animal causes. Meza was named as beneficiary to a condominium in Rosarito on April 30, just two days before Merendino was killed.
“The greed, lies, and brutality of this crime were stark,” said FBI special agent Eric Birnbaum. “Today’s guilty verdict brings a measure of justice for Jake Merendino.”
Meza’s attorneys declined to comment afterwards. They had urged an acquittal, saying it would have been impossible for Meza to drag the 310-pound body of Merendino 33 feet to the ravine.
One juror told a reporter afterwards that jurors discussed the difficulty of Meza dragging the body, but they concluded
“it could be done.” The juror also said Meza appeared to be strong.
“It was very important to look at the evidence and not morals,” said the juror. “We went through the evidence.”
The juror said the 3-week trial was “very tiring” to go through and some jurors felt drained at night. Opening statements were made April 11.
Jurors did not have to determine whether the murder was first or second degree as the federal charge itself involved the slaying of a U.S. citizen in another country. The conspiracy also took place in the U.S.
Taylor Langston, 22, Meza’s girlfriend and now wife, pleaded guilty in February to obstruction of justice in which she made false statements of Meza’s whereabouts the night Merendino was stabbed to death.
Langston, of Chula Vista, remains free on $50,000 bond. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, though a lesser sentence is likely. She is a graduate of Chula Vista High School.
Langston, with the couple’s baby daughter, visited the federal courthouse with other family members while the jury was deliberating. This drew the ire of the judge who said it was “completely inappropriate.”
Miller said he didn’t like the idea of Langston and her toddler running in the hallways while jurors took their breaks there. It is a public building in downtown San Diego.
A juror told a reporter afterwards Langston was recognized by jurors, but he said they were careful to stay away from her and her toddler.
Miller took the step in a hearing to ask Langston’s grandfather, Robert Nolan, who attended the trial daily, to ask her to stay away. Langston did not appear at the courthouse after that.
Nolan, of Chula Vista, said he was stunned and in shock over the guilty verdict, saying “I was of the opinion the defense did a stellar job.”
“I really think he was found guilty because of his lifestyle,” said Nolan. “His lifestyle was to his detriment.”
Jurors had sent notes to Miller saying they were deadlocked on one count on Monday but had reached a verdict on another count. In several more notes, jurors revealed they were deadlocked on the conspiracy charge.
This prompted speculation that jurors might have acquitted Meza on the murder count since they were considered deadlocked on the conspiracy charge. Both defense lawyers had smiles on their faces upon hearing contents of the notes.
One note on Monday asked the judge “do all elements of obstruction have to be present for the onset of a conspiracy?” Miller consulted with attorneys and wrote the answer is no and referred them to the conspiracy instructions.
Jurors were able to reach a verdict on the conspiracy charge several hours later on Tuesday. “It took us time to reach that conclusion,” said the juror.
Meza has been in the Metropolitan Correctional Center without bail since his arrest on Dec. 23, 2015. He did not testify.
