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

[Ann-Tx]

January 23, 2012 11:15 AM

CBS News - Crimesider

Suspect in Laura Garza murder pleads guilty moments before trial begins

Michael Mele (AP Photo) and Laura Garza (Personal Photo)

(CBS/AP) GOSHEN, N.Y. - Convicted sex offender Michael Mele has admitted to killing aspiring dancer Laura Garza just before the start of his murder trial Monday.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...er-pleads-guilty-moments-before-trial-begins/
~~~~~

Complete coverage of the Laura Garza case can be read here. Numerous articles to click on!

http://www.cbsnews.com/crimesider/?keyword=laura+garza
CBS News - Crimesider

 

[Ann-Tx]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...ts-23-years-in-prison-for-laura-garzas-death/
CBS News - Crimesider -- 3/6/12

New York sex offender Michael Mele gets 23 years in prison for Laura Garza's death

 

[Ann-Tx]

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130310/NEWS/303100322
Recordonline.com (Times Herald-Record) Middletown, NY -- 3/10/13

Snipped:

Orange Confidential: True-crime TV show will feature Garza case

Published: 2:00 AM - 03/10/13

The Laura Garza slaying will be the subject of an episode of a new true-crime series, "Dead of Night," airing at 10 p.m. Tuesday on the Investigation Discovery channel. (That's Channel 125 on Time Warner, 171 on Optimum, 285 on DirecTV, 192 on DISH Network, and 123 on Verizon FIOS).

Garza, an aspiring dancer from a small Texas town, moved to New York City in 2008. One night in December of that year, she went out dancing with friends, and had the bad fortune to meet Michael Mele, of the Town of Wallkill.

She left the Manhattan club with him and one of his friends; then she disappeared.

Police searched Mele's apartment for evidence. They searched alongside highways, in the woods and in ponds, looking for Laura or some clue to her fate.

Finally, in April 2010, Laura's skeletal remains were found in the woods near Olyphant, Pa.

Months later, Mele was indicted on murder charges. He would eventually plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter in exchange for a 23-year prison sentence.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office struck the bargain in the face of a case that was clearly homicide, but because of the condition of the remains, there was no way to prove the cause of death, and no way to show intention to prove a murder case.

According to Investigation Discovery, the episode will feature interviews with Laura's mother, Elizabeth Esquivel, Laura's friends, New York State Police Investigator Jan Golding, Senior Assistant District Attorney Kelle Grimmer, and others.
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This sounds as though it will be an interesting show! I will record this show in case I won't be available to watch it.

Tuesday, 3/12/13, on Investigation Discovery!

 

[Ann-Tx]

Investigation Discovery channel:

New show, "Dead of Night", season premieres Tuesday, 3/12/13, at 10 pm EDT/9 pm CDT

http://investigation.discovery.com/tv-shows/dead-of-night
Video preview: Investigation Discovery - Dead of Night - Conflicting Stories (Laura Garza case)

 

[Ann-Tx]

I tried to embed the preview video in the above comment but the video did not appear. Only the code appeared:

<iframe id="dit-video-embed" width="640" height="360" src="http://snagplayer.video.dp.discovery.com/782644/snag-it-player.htm?auto=no" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>

 

[Ann-Tx]

This article and video was posted on 1/19/12 to KRGV's website. Includes an interview with Isela Villalobos, Laura Garza's aunt.

KRGV is in the Rio Grand Valley of Texas with their station located in Weslaco, TX near McAllen, TX.
~~~~~

http://www.krgv.com/news/family-of-laura-garza-plan-to-attend-accused-killer-s-trial/
KRGV - Weslaco, TX (Rio Grande Valley) - Posted: Jan 19, 2012 10:54 PM Updated: Jan 20, 2012 6:53 AM

Family of Laura Garza Plan To Attend Accused Killer's Trial

 

[Ann-Tx]

Cable TV show to dramatize homicide of McAllen native Laura Garza

Michael Mele was sentenced to prison
for the murder of McAllen native Laura Garza.

Posted: Monday, March 11, 2013 4:01 am

by Jacqueline Armendariz | The Monitor
McAllen,TX


The tragic story of the pretty, young McAllen woman whose life was cut short soon after she moved to the glitz of New York City will air on television Tuesday.

Investigation Discovery, Time Warner Cable channel 271, will feature Laura Garza’s story in an episode of its “Dead of Night” series at 9 p.m. The 25-year-old disappeared in December 2008 after leaving a Manhattan nightclub with Michael Mele, a sex offender from New York. The show will feature interviews with Garza’s family, her roommate, New York media and law enforcement who investigated the case.

“It was very important because we went through so much with her investigation, with recovering her remains,” said Isela Villalobos, Garza’s aunt who was interviewed for the program. “It’s important to have a story about her so everybody gets to know who she really was.”

Read more:

http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_b8854f9e-89c5-11e2-9a01-001a4bcf6878.html?photo=0