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Jake Clyde Merendino was a 51-year-old retiree from Houston, Texas, whose May 2015 murder turned into a high-profile transnational case in the U.S. and Mexico. Merendino had gone to Rosarito, Baja California, to close the sale of his oceanfront luxury condo with his younger boyfriend, David Enrique Meza.
Merendino departed his hotel on the evening of May 1, 2015, to assist Meza, who reported that his motorcycle had malfunctioned. The following morning, Merendino was discovered in a ravine with 24 stab wounds and serious neck injuries, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Detectives later learned that Meza had created a forged will, making himself the only heir of Jake Clyde Merendino. Meza was arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to life in federal prison for murder, as reported by NBC San Diego.
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The case will be the focus of the Fatal Destination premiere episode on June 3, 2025, on Investigation Discovery (ID) at 10/9c.
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Full timeline of the murder of Jake Clyde Merendino and the investigation that followed
Early relationships and financial connections
2013: Jake Clyde Merendino, a wealthy man in his fifties from Houston, Texas, met 24-year-old David Enrique Meza through an online ad. As outlined in court documents from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, they entered a romantic relationship, during which Merendino financially supported Meza.
This included purchasing luxury items like motorcycles, paying for college, and eventually writing a handwritten will naming Meza as his sole beneficiary (U.S. Court of Appeals, 2020).
2013-2014: According to the same court filing, Meza maintained a relationship with his girlfriend, Taylor Marie Langston, while living a double life. He told Langston and his family that he worked for a man named “George,” thereby hiding the true nature of his involvement with Merendino.
The move to Mexico and the condo purchase
Late April 2015: As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Merendino moved with Meza from Texas to Rosarito, Mexico, where they planned to live in a luxury condo at Palacio del Mar. Since the condo was still under renovation, they temporarily stayed at a hotel (DOJ Press Release, 2017).
May 1, 2015: Meza and Merendino signed closing papers for the Rosarito condo, finalizing the purchase. This significant step was documented in the DOJ’s public statement following the case (DOJ, 2017).
The night of Jake Clyde Merendino's murder
Evening, May 1, 2015: According to court filings reviewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Meza left the hotel around 10:20 pm on his motorcycle, returned to his apartment in San Diego, and then rode back into Mexico around 12:30 am on May 2. He stopped just a few miles from the hotel.
2:00 am, May 2, 2015: Meza called Jake Clyde Merendino, claiming his motorcycle had stalled. As stated in legal documents, Merendino left the hotel to help Meza. This was the last time he was seen alive (U.S. Court of Appeals, 2020).
Discovery and investigation
Morning, May 2, 2015: According to Courthouse News, Mexican authorities discovered Jake Clyde Merendino’s body in a ravine off the highway between Rosarito and Ensenada. He had suffered 24 stab wounds, including two deep slashes to the neck, and his body had been dragged and dumped into the ravine. Several of his belongings, including his Rolex watch, iPad, and cellphone, were missing (Courthouse News, 2016).
May 2, 2015: NBC San Diego reported that Meza was captured on surveillance video crossing the border back into the U.S. around 4:00 am. GPS data placed him at the crime scene around the time of the murder (NBC San Diego, 2015).
Days later: As noted in DOJ court records, Meza withdrew funds from the joint bank account he shared with Jake Clyde Merendino and sent a copy of the handwritten will (which named him sole beneficiary of an estate worth $1.3 million) to a Texas attorney (U.S. Court of Appeals, 2020).
Cover-up attempts and arrests
May-June 2015: Meza’s attempts to cover his tracks included searching for online news articles about the crime and asking an acquaintance to provide him with a false alibi. According to court documents, he also left a voicemail for Langston, expressing guilt and essentially admitting to the murder (U.S. Court of Appeals, 2020).
Meza and Langston claimed they had been visiting a friend in Tijuana at the time of the murder. However, as reported by NBC San Diego, phone records, border surveillance, and testimony discredited this alibi (NBC San Diego, 2015).
December 2015: According to CNN and 12NewsNow, both Meza and Langston were arrested. Meza was charged with foreign domestic violence resulting in murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Langston was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for helping fabricate the alibi (CNN, 2015; 12NewsNow, 2015).
Trial and conviction
April 7, 2017: Meza’s federal trial began in San Diego. As reported by NBC San Diego, prosecutors argued that Meza murdered Merendino to inherit his estate, which he had been manipulating for months (NBC San Diego, 2017).
May 2017: A federal jury convicted Meza of murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice. This conviction was later confirmed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ Press Release, 2017).
Sentencing: The DOJ announced that Meza was sentenced to life in federal prison. Langston was also found guilty of obstruction of justice for her role in helping Meza cover up the murder (DOJ, 2017).
For more details on the case of Jake Clyde Merendino, watch Fatal Destination on ID.
