GUILTY NY - Laura Garza, 25, Manhattan, 3 December 2008

[MeoW333]

"
NEW CITY - A registered sex offender and former Rockland man police said was the last person to see a missing Brooklyn woman alive was arraigned today on charges of public lewdness, harassment and falsifying business records.
Michael Mele, 23, of Middletown, has been held by police since February on allegations that he violated his probation on charges he improperly touched women in the parking lot of the Palisades Center, among other crimes. He was in Clarkstown Town Court today on charges he made two appointments at a Nanuet tanning business under a false name and then masturbated in front of the attendant during the spray tan procedure."
http://www.lohud.com/article/20090409/NEWS03/904090488/1023/NEWS07

 

[Tonia]

Mele change of venue denied

A request for a change of venue of the Orange County trial of Michael Mele has been denied by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court.
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/April09/24/Mele_venue-24Apr09.html

 

[Tonia]

Family Holds Service For Missing McAllen Woman.

It's been five months since Laura Garza disappeared in New York City. Police still have no leads in the case. Her family just got back from New York, and hosted a service in her honor.
They sang and prayed for any information about her fate.
The family says they will be returning to New York City in the next few weeks. They plan to stay there until they find out what happened to Laura.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story/Family-Holds-Service-For-Missing-McAllen-Woman/IJcIVeVaekKvU5hg5vlkFw.cspx

 

[Tonia]

Judge rejects prosecutors' second try to admit evidence in Mele search warrant

A judge has rejected another bid by prosecutors to use stolen credit cards against the Orange County man who's been under scrutiny since last year's disappearance of Brooklynite Laura Garza.
Orange County Court Judge Nicholas DeRosa ruled earlier this month that stolen debit and credit cards, which state police found in Michael Mele's Town of Wallkill apartment Dec. 6, were outside the scope of a search warrant.

The stolen credit and debit cards form the basis of an indictment charging Mele, 23, with two felony counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
He's also charged, in a separate indictment, with failure to register an address change, a felony. Mele, a registered sex offender, hasn't been charged with anything pertaining to Garza's disappearance.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090727/NEWS/907279967

 

[pjop]

Thanks for the update, Tonia. I always think about her. Such a beautiful girl....

 

[Latole]

Has anyone ever ask for help/insight from the Forensic Astrologers Forum?

 

[Tonia]

Suspect in Laura Garza Disappearance Pleads Guilty For Sex Offender Violations

Prosecutors have more time to build a possible murder case against sex offender Michael Mele for the disappearance of a Bay Ridge woman, after he pled guilty to an unrelated charge this week.

Mele, 23, pled guilty in Orange County Court on Tuesday to failing to register a change of address to the state parole board, which is required of sex offenders. The plea deal could keep him in jail for one to three years.

Mele, of Wallkill, has already been in police custody for 10 months. He turned himself in after police began investigating the disappearance of Laura Garza, 25, of Bay Ridge, in December 2008.

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=4&id=31062

 

[MeoW333]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090930/NEWS/909300336/-1/NEWS

"Marquee was where he met the 25-year-old Garza, an aspiring dancer who moved to New York City from Texas last year. She was seen Dec. 3, leaving the club with Mele.
His parents, William and Michele, watched Tuesday's 10-minute proceeding from a courtroom bench. Their son didn't make eye contact with them."

His not making eye contact with his parents is definitely behavior of the guilty!!

 

[MeoW333]

"A sex offender suspected in the fatal disappearance of a young New York City woman has been sentenced to one to three years in state prison for not reporting his Orange County address to police."
....."Mele became the target of police scrutiny after aspiring dancer Laura Garza, 25, was last seen with him in Orange County in December 2008.


Mele met her in a Manhattan nightclub, police said."

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009911070351

(2 page article)

"The larger issue facing Mele is that state police and the Orange County District Attorney's Office have marked him as the suspect in the disappearance of Garza, a Texas native who had been living in Brooklyn.


Police have said Mele met Garza on Dec. 3, 2008, at the Marque night club in Manhattan.


The Orange County Probation Department was monitoring Mele at the time for his sex offenses in Clarkstown.


Mele is suspected of driving Garza to his condominium in Wallkill in his 2005 Infiniti FX 35.


She was last seen around sunrise the next day in Newburgh with Mele, apparently kissing and hugging, police said."

 

[MeoW333]

1 1/2 to 3 years isn't a lot of time i state prison, most likely if he is a good behaving he'll get out in 1 1/2. This creep did something to Laura Garza, i'll be curious to see if he continues his "pattern" when he gets out of prison, which i'm sure he will.

 

[lawlady84]

Maybe with him officially locked up for at least a year someone will come forward with information? They might have been afraid to say anything if he would be out in a few months. We can only hope

 

[MeoW333]

Maybe with him officially locked up for at least a year someone will come forward with information? They might have been afraid to say anything if he would be out in a few months. We can only hope

I hate to say this on the darker side of things, if he killed Laura and put her in the Hudson or somewhere in one of the State Parks, the places are massive and she may never be found. The Hudson River pulls everything downstream to NYC..they are lucky to have found victims in it.

 

[SleuthyMama]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090930/NEWS/909300336/-1/NEWS

"Marquee was where he met the 25-year-old Garza, an aspiring dancer who moved to New York City from Texas last year. She was seen Dec. 3, leaving the club with Mele.
His parents, William and Michele, watched Tuesday's 10-minute proceeding from a courtroom bench. Their son didn't make eye contact with them."

His not making eye contact with his parents is definitely behavior of the guilty!!

I agree but I also wouldn't be surprised if he didn't make eye contact because he's pizzed they haven't used their connections to do more to get him out of jail (according to him). I think Mele is alot like Casey Anthony...things were handed to him and everyone in the family danced to his tune. When things don't go his way, he's not a happy camper.

 

[MeoW333]

Pace Forum to Honor Missing Woman Garza

http://www.lohud.com/article/200911...EWS03/Pace-forum-to-honor-missing-woman-Garza

"PLEASANTVILLE — Pace University will host an event Tuesday to raise awareness for safety in social scenes and to keep the name of Laura Garza fresh in people's minds."

 

[summer_breeze]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/12/06/2009-12-06_forensics_on_way_in_garza_case.html

A year after Laura Garza vanished after meeting with a pervert in clubland, authorities are about to get forensics they hope will drive a CSI-style prosecution.

 

[SleuthyMama]

Bumping for Laura

Here's a good summary of Michael Mele's "antics" prior to being the last person to see Laura Garza. It's an interesting read if you aren't familiar with the story....

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091206/NEWS/912060340

 

[JLMcKenna83]

Bumping for Laura

Here's a good summary of Michael Mele's "antics" prior to being the last person to see Laura Garza. It's an interesting read if you aren't familiar with the story....

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091206/NEWS/912060340

This guy is just gross! :sick: That article turned my stomach! Really not something I wanted to read while eating lunch.. yuck!

 

[SleuthyMama]

Sorry to do that to you while you were eating, JLM! I hear ya tho.

 

[burbqueen]

OMG what a sicko! SICKO! And a spoiled jerk at that. how could his parent live with knowing that their son was doing these horrible things??

 

[SleuthyMama]

OMG what a sicko! SICKO! And a spoiled jerk at that. how could his parent live with knowing that their son was doing these horrible things??

The parents remind me a bit of the Anthonys...as in they let Michael do his thing for so long and no one ever called him out on it, they just used their connections (his dad was LE) to get him out of his scrapes with the law and until now.