News 12 Staff

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Dec 23, 2025, 12:15 PM

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Updated

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A man in Elizabeth admitted he stabbed his fiancée to death just hours after they got engaged.

Prosecutors say Jose Melo pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter.

Video posted to Facebook about a year ago shows the 53-year-old proposing to Naket Jadiz Trinidad Maldonado.

RELATED: Elizabeth man told authorities he stabbed fiancée in 911 call

RELATED: Elizabeth man accused of fatally stabbing fiancé hours after engagement

The next morning, police found the 31-year-old mother of two dead in their home, prosecutors said.

Melo faces nearly 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in March.