Connect with us

Crime

BREAKING: Murder Suspect in Haverstraw 7-Eleven Road Rage Killing Dies of Apparent Suicide in Jail

Published

5 years ago

on

NEW CITY, NY – The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division announced that on Thursday, August 6, 2020, at approximately 8:07 PM Corrections Officers, while making scheduled checks of the housing area, found Jason Mendez alone in his cell attempting suicide by hanging.

Corrections Officers entered the cell and performed CPR until the arrival of Emergency Medical Personnel. Efforts to revive the inmate were unsuccessful.

Jason Mendez, 36, of Washingtonville, NY was declared deceased after being found in his cell by corrections officers. The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office will oversee the investigation into the unattended death of Mr. Mendez and work with investigators from the Rockland County Sheriff’s office to determine what happened.

Jason Mendez was awaiting trial for the killing of Melissa DeLoatch, and mowing down her family in an incident that took place in February 2019 at the 7-Eleven on Central Highway in Haverstraw. The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office has notified the victim’s family.

District Attorney Tom Walsh said, “I had my office immediately contact the DeLoatch family so they did not hear about the death of Mr. Mendez through other sources. It was always our office’s hope to bring justice to the victims and their families in this horrific case and we are saddened that it will not be the case. District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II continues to offer his sympathies to the DeLoatch family and will assist them in any way to help them get past this tragedy. “I would like to reaffirm that my office will work with the investigators from the Rockland County Sheriff’s office to conduct a full and comprehensive investigation into the death of Jason Mendez.”

 

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Crime

Haverstraw Police Arrest Suspect in Connection with Residential Burglary

Published

2 days ago

on

April 1, 2025

By

On March 31, 2025, the Haverstraw Police Department located and arrested Carlos Sepulveda, 43, of West Haverstraw, New York, in connection with a residential burglary that recently occurred. Mr. Sepulveda was identified as the suspect depicted in a circulated image related to the incident.
The arrest stemmed from an investigation into a reported incident where a suspect allegedly entered a residence and stole a package.
Mr. Sepulveda has been charged with the following:
Burglary 2nd Degree (Class C Felony)
Criminal Trespass 3rd Degree (Class B Misdemeanor)
Petit Larceny (Class A Misdemeanor)
Following his arrest, Mr. Sepulveda was arraigned in Clarkstown Justice Court. He was subsequently remanded to the Rockland County Correctional Facility.

Continue Reading

Crime

Rockland County Court Rejects Convicted Murderer’s Eighth Attempt To Vacate Conviction

Published

1 week ago

on

March 27, 2025

By

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh, II, announced today that, in a decision issued on March 25, 2025, Rockland County Court Judge Kevin F. Russo rejected the latest attempt by convicted murderer Amer Zada to have his conviction vacated. The court noted that this motion is the eighth time Zada has sought to reverse or vacate his conviction.
In 1980, Zada was convicted of the murder of seventeen-year-old Shirley Smith in a Village of Nyack parking lot. He was also convicted of Attempted Sodomy in the First Degree and Aggravated Sexual Abuse as a result of his attack on Ms. Smith. At his trial, Zada was represented by William Kunstler, a world-renowned defense attorney who had gained notoriety for successfully defending many high profile and controversial clients.
In its decision, the court described the defendant’s current motion as being largely based on Zada’s claim that certain documents were not turned over to him prior to trial.
“The court found that Zada had failed to adequately establish this speculative claim as he provided no direct evidence that he had never received the documents. I would like to commend Executive Assistant District Attorney James Dolan for his dedication and professionalism representing the Office in this proceeding.” said District Attorney Tom Walsh.
The court also found that, even assuming that the documents had not been turned over, they were of little importance in the case against Zada and none of them were exculpatory within the meaning of the law. In addition, the court found that Zada’s motion to vacate his conviction raised only minor inconsistencies in the case against him, most of which were thoroughly explored by Mr. Kunstler during the trial. In conclusion, the court found that Zada had not offered anything to justify vacating his conviction.

Continue Reading

Trending