Source: Ashley Cooper / Getty
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit charged Gregory Mallard with first-degree murder following the death of Norelis Mendoza, the mother of his two daughters.
Authorities found Mendoza’s body and pronounced her dead May 17 in Bayonne, off Route 440, on the outskirts of Jersey City.
Somerset County is currently holding Mallard, 35, in custody.
Regarding his alleged connection to Mendoza’s death, Mallard’s other charges are unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (vehicle), hindering in violation, and tampering with physical evidence, according to a statement released by the Prosecutor’s Office.
More disturbingly, Mallard is also charged with Failing to Dispose of Human Remains in a Manner Prescribed by Law and Desecration of Human Remains.
Authorities are investigating the case of Mendoza’s death as “an act of domestic violence.”
The suspect was released from prison in 2020.
The offender’s record showed courts had convicted him of charges including manslaughter, distributing drugs on school property and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. The charges dated all the way back from 2006 to 2012.
Mallard was described as “a reputed member of the 52 Hoover Street Crips gang,” in coverage by NJ.com.
A GoFundMe was created by Mendoza’s family to cover her funeral costs. The fundraiser shared additional information about the mother of two and her murder.
The deceased loved one was last seen in Jersey City May 13. Her family alerted the authorities that she was missing the following day, which was Mother’s Day.
They described Mendoza, 32, as a passionate individual that worked in the medical field and cared for others deeply. She was a person who adored motherhood and her daughters, ages 1 and 3.
“This has been a senseless act of violence, and her girls have been ripped from having their mom on this earth with them. We are all beyond devastated and suffering. Mother’s Day is a joyous time to celebrate, and her girls and family will forever live through the pain of what happened on this day. We are now asking for anyone to help in any way possible so that the family can take care of her daughters as she would have loved to do herself. We all want to honor her as a mother and carry out the plan she had for her girls.”
The beloved 32-year-old was also a “daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend.”
The family has raised over $39,855 out of the fundraiser’s $50,000 goal.
A vigil was held for Mendoza May 21 outside of her mother’s home in Jersey City, according to CBS News.
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