N.J. man allegedly fatally stabbed fiancée 1 day after proposing on Facebook video
01/08/2025 1:04 pm PST
ELIZABETH, N.J. (TCN) -- A 52-year-old registered sex offender was arrested on suspicion of killing his new fiancée one day after he proposed to her in a video that he posted on social media.
According to the Union County Prosecutor's Office, on Dec. 30, Elizabeth Police Department officers were called to a home on Florida Street regarding a stabbing. When they arrived, they found 31-year-old Naket Jadix Trinidad Maldonado deceased from apparent stab wounds. Investigators arrested the woman's fiancé, Jose Melo, on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
On Dec. 29, Melo shared a video on Facebook of himself at a bar that showed him dancing with Maldonado, getting down on one knee, and proposing to her. She accepted the proposal and they shared a kiss. He captioned the video, "I love you baby."
Maldonado's aunt started a GoFundMe page that said Maldonado was "taken from us on December 30 in an act of evil. This horrible act by someone she trusted left her two children without either parent and with very little options for their future."
Most of her family lives in Florida, but Maldonado will be buried at her home in Puerto Rico.
Records show Melo was convicted in 2010 of aggravated criminal sexual contact and is listed in the New Jersey sex offender registry. Details of the case say Melo threatened a the victim with a box cutter and sexually assaulted her.
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