Watertown, NY – A man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison following his conviction for the murder of an 88-year-old woman. Jonathan Melendez, 41, was found guilty of killing Rena Eves with a hammer in her apartment in August 2023.
In addition to murder, Melendez was convicted on charges of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and tampering with evidence. He received consecutive sentences for these charges, totaling up to 36 years.
Melendez represented himself during the trial and claimed he was innocent. He alleged that police had planted evidence and altered the crime scene.
On August 27, Melendez attacked Eves and was arrested later that day wearing two pairs of sweatpants, with the inner pair stained in blood. It was reported that he called 911 to falsely claim the victim’s car had been stolen, but police later found the car fob in his pocket.
During the trial, jurors were shown evidence linking Melendez to the crime, including surveillance footage and text messages with his girlfriend discussing the incident. He argued that he and Eves were friends and denied killing her.
At his sentencing, the victim’s family addressed Melendez, calling his actions monstrous. Judge David Renzi stated he was sentencing Melendez to the maximum allowed based on the severity of the crime.
State prison records indicate that Melendez is already serving nearly 30 years for previous convictions in separate cases.
