Melissa Molinari was reported missing on December 2, she was killed in the basement of her home and then dumped in a Long Island forest.
Marcello Molinari was arrested and charged for the murder of his wife Melissa Molinari, who was stabbed twenty times in the back and torso.
Marcello Molinari is also suspected of having wrapped his wife’s body in garbage bags, duct tape, towels and wrapping, and then abandoning it in the Rocky Point Pine Barrens wooded area in Middle Island (NY).
Marcello Molinari left the 6th Suffolk County (Long Island) Police Station yesterday in handcuffs and did not comment after pleading “not guilty” to the crime, Fox News reported.
Melissa Molinari, a 38-year-old woman and mother of four, was reported missing on December 2, but had not been seen in public since November 21. Police believe she was killed a few days later.
“We are working under the theory that the house is the crime scene, her car was used to transport her and they placed her in Pine Barrens,” said Detective Kevin Beyrer, commanding officer of the Suffolk County Police Department homicide squad.
Police found blood throughout the basement of the couple’s Centereach home and in the truck that prosecutors say her husband used to transport the body.
According to the suspect’s version, Melissa Molinari left the house after an argument and returned on November 23 to pack her clothes and then left with a man in an unknown vehicle.
But the investigation findings revealed that GPS data from Marcello’s cell phone showed that he was at Pine Barrens Rocky Point Park, where Melissa’s body was found.
The family interrupted a trip to Disney shortly after Marcello learned she was having an affair, according to prosecutors.
Also his phone history revealed searches for duct tape and rope along with countries without extradition to the US. It is also alleged that Marcello underwent plastic surgery on his ears and face and joined a dating portal.
“This is a tragic case,” summed up Detective Beyrer. “All the lives that were destroyed in this, it’s a terrible story”. A family court proceeding will determine who will get custody of Melissa’s children.
Melissa’s search caught the attention of Gabby Petito’s father, Joseph, who also lives on Long Island and after his daughter’s murder promised to help other families find their loved ones.