Laura Garza, 25, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Missing 12/3/08 NY (REMAINS FOUND)

[Nut44x4]

4:27 PM EDT, April 27, 2010
Police Return to Field Where Remains Were Found

Investigators were back on the scene in Lackawanna County Tuesday where a woman's body was found.

After learning the identity of the woman, they are now searching for more evidence.

Dozens of officers were at the field in Olyphant where, two weeks ago, skeletal remains were found.

This time they know who the victim is and where she is from.

Police from Pennsylvania and New York State Police scoured Marshwood Road in Olyphant looking for more evidence surrounding the body that was found there.

"Now that the victim's identified, we felt it was important to look over the scene again to see if there was any evidence we might not have been able to see the first time around," explained Trooper Bill Satkowski of Pennsylvania State Police.

The victim is 25-year-old Laura Garza. New York police officers said she was seen leaving a Manhattan nightclub in December, 2008 with convicted sex offender Michael Mele of Orange County, New York. Police said he is a suspect in the case.

Garza's body was found on April 11 by some all terrain vehicle riders in a wooded area in Olyphant.

New York State police said once authorities in Pennsylvania didn't find any leads from local missing persons' reports, they contacted police in New York on April 13 which led them to Garza's case.

New York State Police are not releasing how her body got there.

Troopers were also searching the shoulder of Interstate 84 for any clues to how the New York woman ended up in Lackawanna County.

"New York State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Olyphant Police Department are out here. There's approximately 60 officers searching the area. We have our helicopter in the air just giving everything a second look," Satkowski added.

New York State Police are handling this case. They are not saying what was found in Tuesday's search.

Any possible evidence that was collected will be taken back to New York state for forensics testing.
http://www.wnep.com/news/countybycounty/wnep-lacka-police-field-remains-investigation,0,4395973.story

[MuffyBee]

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/remains-37927-former-resident.html
Prosecutor says former McAllen resident wasn't killed where remains were found
April 27, 2010

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — A prosecutor says a former McAllen resident whose skeletal remains were found in Pennsylvania was apparently killed elsewhere.

That means New York will have jurisdiction over the case of 25-year-old Laura Garza, said Gene Talerico, first assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County, Pa.

Garza had moved from McAllen to New York to pursue a dancing career but disappeared five months later, on Dec. 3, 2008, after leaving a Manhattan nightclub with a sex offender. Her body — “a nearly intact skeleton,” police said — was found last week near Scranton, Pa.

Talerico said Pennsylvania might have taken over the prosecution if the evidence suggested Garza was killed in that state and her body was found there. But he said that wasn't the case, and Pennsylvania authorities are preparing to turn over whatever information and material and evidence they have to authorities in New York.

The findings did not surprise New York State Police Capt. Wayne Olson, who said he has believed all along that Garza was killed in New York.

The sex offender, Michael Mele, has been investigated but not charged in the case. He is currently serving a sentence of up to three years for a parole violation after he failed to tell state authorities that he moved last year from his parents’ home in Newburgh, N.Y., to an apartment in Wallkill, N.Y. A board last month denied his release, citing his “history of sexually deviant behavior.”

Wallkill is about 100 miles from where Garza’s body was found. Both towns are near Interstate 84.

Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips, whose jurisdiction includes Wallkill, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

A youngster with a group of all-terrain vehicle riders discovered Garza’s remains April 11 in Mount Cobb, Pa., in the northeastern part of the state, Olson said. A wristwatch was found with the body.

Olson said he and several New York and Pennsylvania officers were in Mount Cobb on Tuesday searching the scene for evidence. He would not say what, if anything, had been found.

The remains will be sent as soon as today to a lab in Albany for an autopsy that might determine a cause of death, Olson said.

Family members of the woman endured more than a year of uncertainty about Garza’s fate before finally learning Friday that the remains were those of their missing relative.

Cousin Isela Villalobos said on NBC's Today show Tuesday that Garza’s mother, Elizabeth Ezquivel, had clung to her phone for the 16 months her daughter was missing. Ezquivel didn’t turn it off until Friday, when police told the family that DNA proved the remains were Garza’s.

“We’re devastated,” Garza’s older brother, Ivan Garza, 34, said in Spanish on Tuesday as friends and family gathered at the family residence in McAllen to console Ezquivel and extend their condolences.

“(Our mother) was still hanging on to hope that Laura was still alive,” Ivan Garza said.

Brother Nicolas Garza, 28, described his sister as a beautiful young woman who loved music and had a “contagious joy.”

“It’s a relief to know that she isn’t suffering,” he said. “We’ll be together with her, sooner or later.”

Relatives plan to hold a memorial service for Laura Garza once prosecutors release her remains for cremation. Authorities are still investigating how she died.

____

[MuffyBee]

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/local-family-ties-of-killing-suspect-emerge-1.750805
Local family ties of killing suspect emerge
April 29, 2010

Michael Mele is a suspect in the disappearance of Laura Garza, police say. Anyone who may have seen or had contact with Mr. Mele in or around Scranton is asked to contact New York State Police at 845-344-5300 or Pennsylvania State Police at 963-3156. (Courtesy of New York State Police)


  Joe Mele


Michael Mele, a registered sex offender incarcerated in New York for a parole violation, is a suspect in the homicide of Laura Garza.

His brother, Joe Mele, a University of Scranton graduate, has pursued a career in ministry.

The contrast in the brothers' paths is striking as the New York State Police continue its investigation into the homicide of Ms. Garza, a 25-year-old New York woman seen with Michael Mele in December 2008 leaving a New York City club.

"People are so uniquely different at times, and in this case, it's a tragic difference," said the Very Rev. Thomas McLaughlin of the Church of St. Luke, Stroudsburg, said.

Joe Mele was a youth minister at the Church of St. Luke from March 2006 to July 2007 before eventually moving to St. John the Evangelist in Frederick, Md.

"It seemed he always wanted to do some church-related work," the Rev. McLaughlin said.

He said he prays for everyone involved in the investigation and described the situation as sad.

The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., reported that Michael Mele, a registered sex offender, is serving a one- to three-year sentence for not notifying state authorities he moved from his parents home in Newburgh, N.Y., to an apartment in Wallkill, N.Y., in 2008.

Court documents state he had a record of convictions for sexual offenses.

Graduating with a bachelor's degree in counseling and human services from the University of Scranton in 2005, Joe Mele has led a life quite different from his brother. In 2007, he attended graduate school at the university and studied community counseling.

"There is no case connection to the University of Scranton," university spokesman Stan Zygmunt said. "The university did confirm to the New York State Police that the brother of the suspect did attend the university, but not at the time period relevant to the case."

Joe Mele served as a youth minister for several parishes in the area, including St. Patrick's Church in Scranton, eventually joining St. John the Evangelist. He could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Working with Pennsylvania State Police, New York State Police on Monday identified human remains found April 11 along Marshwood Road in Olyphant as those of Ms. Garza.

"We anticipate an autopsy today by Dr. Michael Baden," New York State Police Capt. Wayne Olson said.

According to court documents:

Ms. Garza, a Texas native who moved to New York City in July 2008, was seen on a surveillance video leaving the Club Marquee on 10th Avenue in New York City on Dec. 3, 2008, around 4 a.m. with Michael Mele.

After leaving the club, Michael Mele and Ms. Garza traveled in his sport-utility vehicle with an unidentified man described by police as the "informant" to a McDonald's at the Newburgh Mall, arriving around 5 a.m. The "informant" then left Mr. Mele and Ms. Garza alone.

After Ms. Garza was missing for a day, a friend called the New York City Police Department. Police subsequently interviewed the "informant," who reported seeing Ms. Garza and Mr. Mele kiss.

State police have not identified where Ms. Garza died or how she ended up in Olyphant.

Michael Mele's attorney, Craig Brown, said his client is presumed innocent. He also said he hopes the Garza family can begin the grieving process.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfmj.com/Global/story.asp?S=12392473
NY woman's remains sent back from Pennsylvania
April 28, 2010

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (AP) - Police say the remains of a Brooklyn woman, found last week in Pennsylvania after a 16-month search, have been sent to Albany for an autopsy.

State police Capt. Wayne Olson said Wednesday that investigators are hoping to learn the cause of Laura Garza's death.

The 25-year-old Garza vanished in 2008 after leaving a Manhattan nightclub with a sex offender. The offender, 24-year-old Michael Mele (MEE'-lee), has been investigated but not charged in Garza's death.

Her skeletal remains were found in a wooded area in Mount Cobb, Pa., about 80 miles west of where she was last seen.

Olson said the autopsy is to be conducted Thursday by Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known forensic pathologist who is a consultant to the state police.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100427/NEWS/4270323/-1/news
Timeline of Laura Garza case
April 27, 2010

Published: 2:00 AM - 04/27/10

Dec. 2, 2008: Michael Mele, a registered sex offender from the Town of Wallkill, heads down to Club Marquee on 10th Avenue in Manhattan, where he meets 25-year-old Laura Garza of Brooklyn.

Dec. 3, 2008: Garza and a man identified as Mele are seen on video surveillance leaving the club. Garza, Mele and a man identified in court papers only as an "informant" arrive at the McDonald's at the Newburgh Mall around 5:30 a.m.. The man, who was a passenger in Mele's Infiniti SUV, leaves and sees Garza and Mele "kissing and laughing."

Dec. 4, 2008: A friend of Laura Garza reports her missing to the NYPD.

    Dec. 5, 2008: Police and the informant go to Mele's apartment at the Regency Club in the Town of Wallkill and notice cuts of carpet missing. Mele turns himself in to Town of Newburgh police on a probation violation and is held at the Rockland County Jail.

Dec. 6, 2008: Police search Mele's apartment and car, as well as grassy areas along Interstate 84 between Newburgh and Middletown for clues about Garza's disappearance.

Dec. 9, 2008: Mele appears in Newburgh Town Court on charges of violating the terms of his probation. In 2007, Mele pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sex offenses for exposing himself and masturbating on women at the Palisades Center mall in Rockland County. Mele is sent to Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Dec. 10, 2008: Garza's brothers, Ivan and Nicolas, come to Wallkill to join in the search. Mele's girlfriend, who lives in Bloomingburg, is interviewed by investigators.

Dec. 28, 2008: Ivan and Nicolas Garza stage a candlelight vigil outside Mele's apartment.

Dec. 31, 2008: Mele is indicted on felony charges of possession of stolen property. During a search of Mele's apartment, police discovered an American Express credit card and a Citibank debit card that had both been reported stolen.

Jan. 13, 2009: Mele waives his appearance in court on possession of stolen property charges, leaving the Garza family angry and disappointed. The Garza family goes to Mele's parents' home in the Town of Newburgh, where they tape a photo of Laura on the front door. No one is home at the time.

April 10, 2009: Authorities charge Mele with two new sex-related charges for allegedly exposing himself and masturbating in front of tanning- salon attendants in Rockland County.

June 15, 2009: An Orange County Court judge rules that the stolen credit and debit cards can't be used as evidence against Mele. Prosecutors are still awaiting a decision on their appeal.

Sept. 28, 2009: Mele pleads guilty to failing to register his new address in the Town of Wallkill after moving from his parents' home in the Town of Newburgh.

Nov. 5, 2009: Mele is sentenced to one to three years in state prison.

Feb. 3, 2010: Mele pleads guilty to a misdemeanor charge of falsifying business records in Clarkstown court to cover the tanning-salon charges. He receives no additional jail time.

March 19, 2010: Mele is denied parole and is transferred to a state prison further upstate. With good behavior, he could be home by Christmas.

April 26, 2010: State police announce that DNA tests show a body found on April 11 in Olyphant, Pa., is Laura Garza.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100429/NEWS/100429471
Pathologist begins examining Garza's remains; vigil planned in Manhattan Monday
April 29, 2010

ALBANY — One of America's most accomplished forensic pathologists on Thursday began studying the remains of Laura Garza, the 25-year-old Brooklyn woman whose remains were identified this week. The results won't be immedaitely available, and state police didn't have a timetable for when they'd be able to make the results public.

Dr. Michael Baden, a consultant to the state police and former chief New York City medical examiner, is conducting the autopsy at Albany Medical Center. The procedure will include toxicology tests for the presence of enzymes and other substances that could offer clues to the cause of her death.

Garza's skeletal remains, discovered April 11 near Scranton, Pa., were identified through a DNA match. She was last seen on Dec. 3, 2008, after she met Michael Mele of the Town of Wallkill in the Manhattan nightclub Marquee. Mele, who was on probation for misdemeanor sex offenses at the time, is now serving a state prison sentence for failing to register an address change with the state.
A Bronx activist, Awilda Cordero, said Thursday that she's organizing a prayer gathering in Garza's memory outside Marquee at 3 p.m. Monday. The club is at 289 10th Avenue, near the intersection of 27th Street.

[Bearlyhere]

This is so sad.  Even sadder is the fact that someone can go around masturbating on women and children and get virtually a slap on the wrist.  How many victims are out there who may be too embarrassed to report his crimes?  Women who are misguided and blame themselves, children who do not know what they witnessed.  There is one way to stop his ejaculation crimes, and they should use it.

I feel so badly for Laura's family and friends.  I hope their anger goes towards the perp and not towards themselves for not stopping her.  The blame goes to one person only and it is not her family or friends.

God bless Laura, her family, friends, and all who care about her.

   



misspelling

[San]

Indict due in 2008 'club' slay

By DAVID K. LI
Last Updated: 4:16 AM, December 8, 2010
Posted: 3:23 AM, December 8, 2010

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/indict_due_in_club_slay_ewfPpBD5p5EQBdaoUcb67K#ixzz17Xf1F8W6

A registered sex offender, long suspected in the 2008 disappearance of Brooklyn beauty Laura Garza, is expected to be indicted today in connection with her death, according to a published report.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office is set to announce that Michael Mele, who has been in detectives' crosshairs since Garza disappeared in December 2008, will finally be charged, the Times Herald-Record newspaper of Middletown reported.

Garza, 25, vanished from the nightclub Marquee in Chelsea two years ago. Her remains were found last April near Scranton, Pa.

Investigators immediately zeroed in on Mele, who was spotted leaving Marquee with Garza.

Mele is currently serving time upstate.

Mele's lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment last night.

[Nut44x4]

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!

Sex offender Michael Mele indicted in Laura Garza muder; last seen leaving Chelsea club with her
BY Oren Yaniv AND John Lauinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Originally Published:Wednesday, December 8th 2010, 2:42 PM

The sex offender last seen leaving a Chelsea nightclub with Laura Garza on the night of her 2008 disappearance has been indicted on a murder rap.

The eight-count indictment charges that Michael Mele, 25, "did cause the death of" Garza on Dec. 3, 2008, according to the indictment.

"This is what we were hoping for," said Garza's aunt, Isela Villalobos.

She said a representative from the office of Orange County District Attorney Francis Phillips notified the family of the indictment shortly after noon Wednesday.

"We are just thankful that the grand jury did their job and indicted him," Villalobos added. "Now we are going to wait to see if there is going to be a plea or a trial."

The indictment against Mele is headlined by a second-degree murder charge. But he was also charged with tampering with evidence because investigators allege he dumped Garza's body after the murder and then tossed out carpets from his apartment and a mat from his car.

Garza's body was found in a field near Scranton, Pa., in April following an intensive search in the countryside around Mele's apartment in upstate Wallkill.

The discovery - which represented the crucial break investigators in the case had been waiting for - came 16 months after the raven-haired beauty was last seen leaving club Marquee on 10th Ave. with Mele.

Garza, an aspiring dancer originally from Texas, had just moved to Brooklyn when she disappeared.

Mele, the son of a retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority cop, was on probation at the time following a conviction for exposing himself in front of women at a Rockland County mall.

He is currently serving a prison sentence for failing to register a change of address as a sex offender - information cops uncovered as they investigated Garza's disappearance.

He was due to be sprung from prison on Dec. 24.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/12/08/2010-12-08_sex_offender_michael_mele_indicted_in_laura_garza_muder_last_seen_leaving_chelse.html?r=news

[klaasend]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/12/08/2010-12-08_sex_offender_michael_mele_indicted_in_laura_garza_muder_last_seen_leaving_chelse.html

Sex offender Michael Mele indicted in Laura Garza murder; last seen leaving Chelsea club with her

BY Oren Yaniv AND John Lauinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Originally Published:Wednesday, December 8th 2010, 2:42 PM
Updated: Wednesday, December 8th 2010, 4:57 PM


The sex offender last seen leaving a Chelsea nightclub with Laura Garza on the night of her 2008 disappearance has been indicted on a murder rap.

The eight-count indictment charges that Michael Mele, 25, "did cause the death of" Garza on Dec. 3, 2008, according to the indictment.

"This is what we were hoping for," said Garza's aunt, Isela Villalobos.

She said a representative from the office of Orange County District Attorney Francis Phillips notified the family of the indictment shortly after noon Wednesday.

"We are just thankful that the grand jury did their job and indicted him," Villalobos added. "Now we are going to wait to see if there is going to be a plea or a trial."

The indictment against Mele is headlined by a second-degree murder charge. But he was also charged with tampering with evidence because investigators allege he dumped Garza's body after the murder and then tossed out carpets from his apartment and a mat from his car.

Garza's body was found in a field near Scranton, Pa., in April following an intensive search in the countryside around Mele's apartment in upstate Wallkill.

The discovery - which represented the crucial break investigators in the case had been waiting for - came 16 months after the raven-haired beauty was last seen leaving club Marquee on 10th Ave. with Mele.

Garza, an aspiring dancer originally from Texas, had just moved to Brooklyn when she disappeared.

Mele, the son of a retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority cop, was on probation at the time following a conviction for exposing himself in front of women at a Rockland County mall.

He is currently serving a prison sentence for failing to register a change of address as a sex offender - information cops uncovered as they investigated Garza's disappearance.

He was due to be sprung from prison on Dec. 24.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/12/08/2010-12-08_sex_offender_michael_mele_indicted_in_laura_garza_muder_last_seen_leaving_chelse.html#ixzz17ZxsF5DD

[Nut44x4]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/7337081.html



Sex offender pleads not guilty in NY woman's death
By JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press © 2010 The Associated Press
Dec. 13, 2010, 12:05PM

GOSHEN, N.Y. — A sex offender pleaded not guilty Monday in the killing of an aspiring dancer who vanished two years ago after leaving a New York City nightclub with him, and his lawyer wants to get him out of prison on bail.

Michael Mele, 25, is charged with murder, manslaughter and evidence tampering in the death of Laura Garza, 25, who had moved from McAllen, Texas to New York five months before her disappearance. He could face 25 years to life in prison if he's convicted of murder.

Mele, wearing a green jail jumpsuit and a buzz cut, his hands cuffed in front of him and shackled to his waist, pleaded not guilty through his attorney, John Ingrassia, in Orange County Court. Prosecutors believe Garza was killed in Orange County, where Mele lived.

Ingrassia won permission from County Judge Nicholas De Rosa to file a bail application in writing. Mele is already jailed for violating his parole as a sex offender, but that sentence could end as soon as Dec. 24.

District Attorney Frank Phillips said outside court that prosecutors would oppose any bail request.

"In any murder case, there's always a flight risk," Phillips said. "Twenty-five to life is a great inducement."

He also said he would oppose any request to move the trial from Orange County because of heavy publicity.

"We've had many high-profile trials," he said.

Phillips said Mele, who was the prime suspect all along and never cooperated with the investigation, was "continuing to exercise his right to remain silent."

Garza had been missing since Dec. 3, 2008, when surveillance cameras showed her leaving the Manhattan nightspot Marquee with Mele. They were also seen a couple of hours later a few miles from Mele's home in Wallkill.

Mele had several sex-offense convictions in New York, most involving approaching women while masturbating, and he was wanted in New Jersey for similar crimes. He was denied release in March by a board that cited his "history of sexually deviant behavior."

The indictment says Mele hid carpet pieces, a car mat and Garza's body in an effort to keep them from becoming trial evidence. Police said patches of carpet in Mele's apartment had been cut away.

Garza's skeletal remains were found in April in the woods in Mount Cobb, Pa., after what Phillips called "the most intensive search mission I have ever seen."

As many as 200 firefighters, police officers and volunteers spent weeks searching for Garza in Orange and Sullivan counties. Officers looked through Mele's apartment complex, the woods and fields around it, septic systems and trash bins, and nearby roads. Divers went under the ice covering a lake.

Garza's brothers, Ivan and Nicolas, came east from Texas and posted "missing" signs with their sister's picture. When the search reached the one-month and one-year marks, they held vigils for her in Manhattan.

On April 11, 2010, a group of ATV riders found what police described as "an intact skeleton" several miles outside of Scranton, Pa. Police said a watch that Garza was wearing when she disappeared was found on the remains and DNA tests confirmed the identity.

The cause of her death has not been made public.

De Rosa set Mele's next court appearance for March 7, 2011.

[2NJSons_Mom]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/12/13/2010-12-13_laura_garza_murder_suspect_michael_mele_pleads_not_guilty_to_aspiring_dancers_20.html

Laura Garza murder suspect Michael Mele pleads not guilty to
aspiring dancer's 2008 death                                 
 BY John Lauinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, December 13th 2010, 1:28 PM

 HandoutLaura Garza was last seen leaving the Chelsea
nightclub Marquee in December 2008.

 The sex offender seen leaving a Chelsea night club
with Laura Garza on the night of her 2008
disappearance pleaded not guilty on Monday to
murdering her, a prosecutor said.

 Michael Mele, 25, was arraigned in an upstate court
on an indictment charging him with murder,
manslaughter and evidence tampering in the death
of the 25-year-old Texas transplant.

Orange County District Attorney Francis Phillips
would not say how Garza was slain.

"We're not going to disclose that at any point other
than in court at an appropriate time," he told the
Daily News.

Mele, the son of a retired Metropolitan
Transportation Authority cop, is currently
imprisoned on an unrelated sex charge. His earliest r
elease date is Dec. 24.

Phillips said his office has asked the court to hold
Mele without bail in the Orange County Jail if he is
sprung from prison.

Mele continues to refuse to cooperate with
authorities in the Garza case, the Associated Press
reported. Mele's lawyer, John Ingrassia, entered the
plea on his behalf and declined to comment to
reporters after the brief proceeding.

Garza, an aspiring dancer from McAllen, Tex., had
moved to Brooklyn only five months before her
fateful encounter with Mele in clubland.

Security cameras at Marquee on Tenth Ave. filmed
Garza leaving with Mele early on the morning of
Dec. 3, 2008.

State police investigators believe Mele took the
raven-haired beauty to his condo in upstate Wallkill
and murdered her.

As investigators probed Mele following Garza's
disappearance, they learned the convicted sex
offender failed to notify the state of a change of
address - a violation of state law that led a judge to
 Get Morning Home Delivery of the Daily News for up to 70% off.
Call (888) 393-3760Advertisement
 throw him in prison.

Despite an intensive search in the countryside near
Mele's home, the Garza case went cold until her
skeleton was found in  a Pennsylvania field in April
by people riding all-terrain vehicles.

Her remains were analyzed in a state crime lab in 
Albany, but Mele was not indicted by a grand jury
until last week.

"The investigation was extremely arduous. We
involved an extraordinary amount of resources,"
said Captain Joseph Tripodo, head of the state
police bureau investigating the case. "Getting the
indictment certainly brings the case to fruition for
us."

Phillips called the discovery of Garza's remains "a
substantial milestone," but he would not reveal
whether any new development in the case led to the
indictment.

"The case has been taking a long time to develop,
and we just wanted to go through it very
methodically," he said.

Mele was indicted on a count of evidence tampering
because investigators charge he dumped Garza's
body after the murder and also tossed out sections
of carpet from his condo and a mat from his car.

After Garza's remains were found, state police
combed Interstate 84 from Danbury, Conn., into
Pennsylvania, searching the highway's shoulders
and medians for evidence, Tripodo said.

He would not say whether any witnesses spotted
Mele in the area where Garza's body was dumped.

[Nut44x4]

Hi 2NJSons_Mom  you were the last one to post here  ::justice2NJ::


Feb. 25,2011
News around the valley
 http://www.hvinsider.com/articles/around-the-valley-week-of-february-21-2011/

Town of Wallkill – 2 years after he death Laura Garzas family will finally be able to lay her to rest. A report has rules traumatic asphyxia as the cause of death of the 25 year old Garza. Michael Mele has been charged with murder in connection with her death.


@@find nothing of Trial date??

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120123/NEWS/120129901/-1/SITEMAP
Mele pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Laura Garza
By Heather Yakin
Times Herald-Record
Published: 10:05 AM - 01/23/12
Last updated: 10:13 AM - 01/23/12
 ::snipping2::
In exchange for his guilty plea, Mele is expecting to get 23 years in prison.

Mele, 26, was charge with murder in Garza's death. Garza was seen early on Dec. 3, 2008, leaving a New York City nightclub with Mele and one of his friends.

Her skeletal remains were found April 11, 2010, in rural Olyphant, Pa.

Check back later this morning on recordonline.com for more information.

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/154670/trial-begins-upstate-for-man-accused-of-killing-brooklyn-woman
9:48 AM
Trial Begins Upstate For Man Accused Of Killing Brooklyn Woman
By: NY1 News

Video at link.
 ::snipping2::
Opening statements are scheduled for today in the case of a convicted sex offender accused of killing an aspiring dancer months after she moved to New York.

Michael Mele, 26, is being tried in Orange County.

He faces charges of murder, manslaughter, and evidence tampering in the death of Laura Garza, 25

[Sister]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120123/NEWS/120129901/-1/SITEMAP
Mele pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of Laura Garza
By Heather Yakin
Times Herald-Record
Published: 10:05 AM - 01/23/12
Last updated: 10:13 AM - 01/23/12
 ::snipping2::
In exchange for his guilty plea, Mele is expecting to get 23 years in prison.

Mele, 26, was charge with murder in Garza's death. Garza was seen early on Dec. 3, 2008, leaving a New York City nightclub with Mele and one of his friends.

Her skeletal remains were found April 11, 2010, in rural Olyphant, Pa.

Check back later this morning on recordonline.com for more information.

23 years -- not much for taking a life, but I understand if the family was in agreement.

[trimmonthelake]

http://cbsnewyork.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/report-convicted-sex-offender-michael-mele-to-plead-guilty-to-killing-aspiring-brooklyn-dancer/
Convicted Sex Offender Michael Mele Admits Killing Aspiring Brooklyn Dancer
January 23, 2012 10:39 AM
 ::snipping2::
Mele, 26, decided to plead guilty to manslaughter and evidence tampering in the death of Laura Garza before the start of his murder trial at Orange County Court.

Mele had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Mele confessed to suffocating Garza in his Wallkill apartment after she became upset when she learned he had a girlfriend. He said he put her body in a laundry basket after killing her, drove to Pennsylvania and dumped her remains in the woods.
 ::snipping2::

[San]

Sex-offender Michael Mele admits killing dancer Laura Garza just as his trial opens

Pleads guilty to manslaughter in deal with prosecutors, will serve 23 years



Serial molester Michael Mele admitted Monday he suffocated aspiring dancer Laura Garza after picking her up at a Manhattan nightclub three years ago.

The stunning turn of events came just before the start of Mele’s murder trial in Orange County. In a deal with prosecutors, he copped a plea to manslaughter and will be sentenced to 23 years behind bars.

The deal angered Garza’s family.

"My daughter will be the same age as my sister when he gets out. That's not justice," said the victim’s brother, Ivan.

"He should have got life behind bars."

In court, Mele — a convicted sex offender — admitted he met Garza, 25, at the nightspot Marquee and took her back to his Wallkill apartment.

By his account, she spotted a picture of his girlfriend in a frame, an argument ensued, and he smothered her.

"I put my hand over her mouth and partially over her nose," he said.

"I realized something very bad happened."

 ::snipping2::

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/sex-offender-michael-mele-admits-killing-dancer-laura-garza-trial-opens-article-1.1010377#ixzz1kIpKK076

[San]

How many times have we all heard that line.

This guy is the scum of the Earth and he will on serve 23 years with his plea.  That is not enough time.  He will be let out and murder again.  He is a sociopath/psychopath.  When will people learn that people like him should never be allowed out in society.

He is a monster.

[trimmonthelake]

How many times have we all heard that line.

This guy is the scum of the Earth and he will on serve 23 years with his plea.  That is not enough time.  He will be let out and murder again.  He is a sociopath/psychopath.  When will people learn that people like him should never be allowed out in society.

He is a monster.