Already in prison for abusing baby son, N.J. man indicted for murdering his six-week-old daughter
There are bad dads – and then there are really bad dads as is the case with 23-year-old Austin Meli out of Wall, New Jersey, who was indicted Friday by a Monmouth County Grand Jury for Murder and Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the death of his six-week-old daughter. The bad dad admitted to killing the child while speaking on the phone with his daughter’s mom, who was secretly recording the conversation. Meli told his then fiancé’ that he suffocated the baby.
He gave the girl a bottle and, when she threw up on him, he admitted that he grew angry and suffocated her until she passed out. The girl never woke up … ~ App.com
On March 9, 2019, the Wall Township Police Department responded to a residence in Wall regarding the unresponsive six-week-old infant. The investigation determined that the child had been in the immediate care of her father, Austin Meli, at the time she was found to be unresponsive. The child was subsequently pronounced deceased at Ocean Medical Center in Brick, New Jersey.
Subsequent investigation revealed additional details surrounding the infant’s death and determined the manner of the baby’s death to be a homicide.
According to the Daily Voice, at the time of his indictment, Meli was already in state prison on separate charges that he physically abused the girl’s older brother. Meli was sentenced to 10 years in state prison in March 2020 for violently abusing his 15-month-old son.
Prosecutors in the case against Meli said that some of the abuse he levied upon the son was actually captured on surveillance video by a camera that Meli himelf had installed in the home.
If anyone has any information regarding this case that can assist the investigative team, they are urged to call Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Sergeant Shawn Murphy at 732-431-7160 ext. 7032 or Wall Township Police Detective Chris Lisewski at 732-449-4800 ext. 1140.
If convicted of murder, Meli faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in a New Jersey State Prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Meli faces up to 10 years New Jersey State Prison on the Endangering the Welfare of a Child charge.
Anyone who feels the need to remain anonymous but has information about a crime can submit a tip to Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling their confidential telephone tip-line at 1-800-671-4400; by downloading and using the free P3 Tips mobile app (available on iOS and Android – https://www.p3tips.com/1182), by calling 800-671-4400 or by going to the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com.
(Source: Monmouth County Prosecutors Office)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
