A federal judge has delayed the sentencing for David Enrique Meza to Oct. 23 as officials wanted more time to write a thorough sentencing report about the slaying of Meza’s wealthy boyfriend in Mexico in 2015.
The request to move the Aug. 7 sentencing was made by the federal probation department to U.S. District Court Judge Jeff Miller in San Diego. Meza, 27, was convicted May 2 by a jury following seven days of deliberations concerning the May 2, 2015 slaying of Jake Clyde Merendino, 52.
The case was unusual because the jurisdiction was in federal court as Merendino was an American citizen killed in Mexico. Meza was also convicted of conspiracy to obstruct justice and the conspiracy was in the U.S. where Meza lived with his girlfriend, Taylor Langston, 22, in Imperial Beach.
Langston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice in giving officials a false alibi of his whereabouts the night of the murder. She was sentenced June 16 by Miller to 21 months in federal prison. She is now free on $50,000 bond, but must surrender to prison by July 21.
The eight woman, four man jury convicted Meza after seven days of deliberations in a three week trial. Meza did not testify, but he said he was straight in a 2013 interview with Next Door Studios. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Ciaffa described Meza as “gay for pay” and Merendino was his “sugar daddy.”
After the slaying, Meza submitted to a Texas probate court a handwritten will supposedly signed by Merendino that left Meza as his sole beneficiary. Merendino had an earlier will drawn up in 1997 that left his estate to animal causes.
Meza has been in federal custody since Dec. 23, 2015.
