The attorney for an Otay Mesa man accused of killing his boyfriend in Mexico has asked a judge to admit personal online ads by the victim into evidence during the April murder trial.
David Enrique Meza, 26, is charged with stabbing Jake Merendino, 52, to death off a highway between Rosarito and Ensenada, Mexico. He is also charged with conspiracy with his girlfriend, who is now his wife, to obstruct justice.
Meza’s wife, Taylor Marie Langston, 22, pleaded guilty Feb. 24 to conspiracy to obstruct justice in lying to authorities concerning the whereabouts of her husband May 2, 2015. Langston will be sentenced May 5 and faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Meza appeared March 24 before U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller and pleaded not guilty to all charges as the wording had changed in the conspiracy count.
Meza’s attorney, R. Deke Falls, filed court documents seeking to admit numerous personal ads on Craigslist.org in 2014 and e-mails as evidence in the trial, which will start April 10. The documents say Merendino sought ads for young Hispanic males.
“Love Latin guys! Just moved to Houston and in process of buying high rise in River Oaks. Do you charge hourly or by the job?” stated one ad, according to defense documents.
Other ads specified Merendino was looking for bottoms and twinks.
Falls wrote he wanted to admit this evidence to show he “actively solicited sexual relationships with other male prostitutes – in particular, young Latin prostitutes in need of financial assistance – throughout the course of his relationship with Mr. Meza.”
Federal prosecutors argued against such evidence being admitted, saying such material is “impermissible under the rules of evidence.” Attorneys Alexandra Foster and Robert Ciaffa wrote the defense is trying to “tarnish the victim’s character” with such evidence.
Merendino is deceased and attorneys could not cross examine an advertisement to explain the wording. Nor is there absolute proof Merendino submitted it, they wrote.
“If Meza insists on making ‘sex with others’ an issue in this case, the government may reconsider its decision on (not) introducing witnesses and financial records proving Meza’s long term prostitution business before, during, and after his relationship with Merendino,” concluded federal prosecutors.
Proposed questions of potential jurors were also submitted by prosecutors and most are routine. One proposed question asked jurors if anyone had any difficulty being fair and impartial because Meza had a homosexual relationship with the victim. Another question asked if jurors believed prostitution should be legal.
Meza remains in the Metropolitan Correctional Center without bail while Langston is free on $50,000 bond. If Meza is convicted of murdering a U.S. citizen in Mexico, he faces life in federal prison.
