NJ man gets 28 years for killing girlfriend after proposal

💍 NJ man proposed to his girlfriend — then killed her just hours later in a shocking case.

⚖️ Jose Melo was sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter.

👩‍👧‍👦 Victim “Naky” Maldonado, 31, was a mother of two, leaving a grieving family behind.

An Elizabeth DJ who admitted to stabbing his girlfriend to death just hours after proposing to her at a club has been sent to prison.

On Friday, Jose Melo was sentenced by a Union County Superior Court judge to 28 years in state prison.

In December, the 53-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the killing of Naket Jadix Trinidad Maldonado.

Victim was mother of two remembered by loved ones

The 31-year-old victim, known to her loved ones as “Naky” was a mother of two young children, according to a GoFundMe campaign that raised nearly $30,000 for the family before donations were paused.

Melo, a registered sex offender for a 2010 conviction, was the person who called 911 after 9 a.m. on Dec. 30, 2024, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by investigators.

Child was inside home at time of killing

Aside from Melo and Maldonado, their 3-year-old daughter was also in the Florida Street residence when police arrived.

Just hours before, Melo had shared a video to his Instagram account, where he goes by "DJ Melo Bass One."

Tagging the location of an Elizabeth nightclub, the video shows him getting on one knee and flashing an engagement ring, asking the victim to marry him.

Defendant must serve decades before parole eligibility

Melo must serve nearly 24 years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

“I hope this sentence can provide some assurance to the victim and her family, as well as the community, that we will not tolerate these egregious offenses and will expend all of our efforts to bring offenders to justice,” Union County Prosecutor William Daniel said.

These 31 convicted killers were pardoned by Gov. Murphy

In a one year span, Gov. Phil Murphy granted clemency to over 283 individuals convicted of various crimes. Of those, at least 31 have been pardoned and released early from state prison after they were convicted of murder and aggravated manslaughter. After release, each person is subject to five years of parole supervision.

Gallery Credit: Rick Rickman

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