Where is David Enrique Meza now? Details explored ahead of Fatal Destination on ID

David Enrique Meza is serving a life term in federal prison for the murder of Jake Clyde Merendino. Meza was convicted in 2017, when a federal jury found him guilty of stabbing Merendino 24 times to death in Baja California, Mexico. The motive behind the crime was monetary gain, as Meza wanted to inherit the property of Merendino.

Meza remains in prison and is ineligible for parole, according to federal court records. His case is marked by the sophisticated plot and the double life he led, which ultimately resulted in his conviction and life imprisonment.

The case of David Enrique Meza will be featured in the premiere of Fatal Destination on June 3, 2025, on Investigation Discovery.

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Background of the case

According to NBC San Diego, David Enrique Meza met Jake Clyde Merendino on the internet in 2013. Federal prosecutors said they started a love affair, with Merendino showering Meza with high-value gifts and money. Nevertheless, Meza maintained another relationship with Taylor Marie Langston, who was pregnant with his child when he committed the crime.

As reported by CNN that Meza's affair with Merendino became the focal point of what drove the crime. In May 2015, Merendino had gone to Baja California to settle a purchase of a high-end condo worth $300,000, and Meza joined him there.

Trial evidence demonstrated that Meza had drafted a handwritten will in which he made himself the sole beneficiary of Merendino's property only days before the murder. The prosecution contended that Meza had acted in a premeditated manner and out of greed, wanting to benefit from Merendino's death.

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Crime and conviction

As per a report by People, on May 2, 2015, Merendino was discovered dead in a Rosarito ravine, Baja California, with 24 stab wounds and his throat cut, the FBI and trial testimony reported.

As per the Los Angeles Times, investigators found that Meza had enticed Merendino out of his Rosarito hotel under the pretense of assisting with a stranded car. Surveillance video and cellular data placed Meza at the crime scene and then back across the international boundary into the United States.

Meza and Langston initially claimed they were going to visit a friend in Tijuana when the murder took place, but this alibi was refuted by police investigators. As per NBC San Diego, more evidence, such as stolen valuables and the forged will, incriminated Meza in the homicide.

In May 2017, Meza was found guilty by a federal jury of interstate or foreign domestic violence that caused murder and conspiracy to impede justice. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller sentenced Meza to a life term in prison, calling the killing an "inhumane, depraved act."

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David Enrique Meza's current status and incarceration

As of June 2025, David Enrique Meza is still behind bars in a federal prison, living out a life sentence without the option for parole, according to People. The federal conviction makes Meza ineligible for parole, and he will be serving out the remainder of his life in prison. As of this date, there are no public documents showing any alteration to his sentence or incarceration status.

As per the Los Angeles Times, Taylor Marie Langston, Meza's girlfriend, also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for lying to detectives about where they had been during the killing. She did time in prison but was not charged with murder because investigators had not gathered enough evidence to charge her with the actual murder.

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For more details about the crimes of David Enrique Meza, watch Fatal Destination on ID.