New Jersey Man Charged with Murder of Fiancée Day After Public Proposal

Jose Melo, a registered sex offender and local DJ, allegedly stabbed Naket Jadix Trinidad Maldonado to death less than 24 hours after proposing to her in a viral Facebook video.

Jose Melo, 52, has been charged with first-degree murder after his fiancée, Naket Jadix Trinidad Maldonado, 31, was found dead in their New Jersey home on December 30, 2024.
A day prior to the alleged killing, Melo publicly proposed to Maldonado at a nightclub, sharing a video of the event on Facebook that quickly went viral.
Melo, a registered sex offender convicted in 2010 for threatening and sexually assaulting a woman, faces additional charges related to unlawful possession of a weapon.
Maldonado, a mother of two young daughters, was described by her family as being 'senselessly taken' in an act of betrayal by someone she trusted.
A GoFundMe campaign launched by Maldonado's family has raised nearly $28,000 to support her daughters and cover funeral expenses, with plans for her burial in Puerto Rico.