Man murders NJ mom of 2 and leaves body off road, prosecutors say

🚨 A Jersey City man is charged with murdering the mother of two young girls

🚨 Her family told the press that he was the father of her children

🚨 Prosecutors are investigating the murder as an act of domestic violence

A man who spent over a decade in prison for aggravated manslaughter has killed again and this time the victim was the mother of his two young daughters, according to prosecutors.

Norelis Mendoza, 32, of Lindenwold hadn't been seen since late the night of Saturday, May 13 when she dropped her daughters off at her mother's house in Jersey City. The next day, her family reported her missing. Mendoza's body was found Wednesday off Route 440 in Bayonne near the border with Jersey City.

Authorities on Friday arrested Gregory Mallard, 35, of Jersey City for the killing. The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office announced he was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree failing to lawfully dispose of human remains, second-degree desecration of human remains, third-degree hindering, fourth-degree tampering, and weapons offenses.

The prosecutor's office said it is investigating the killing as an act of domestic violence. CBS New York reported that Mendoza and Mallard shared two daughters. Mallard is being held in Somerset County.

🚨 Killer was part of violent gang

State records show that Mallard was released in June 2020 after spending over 135 months in state prison for the Aug. 31, 2008 murder of 19-year-old Lawrence Robertson.

An appellate decision, which rejected his appeal, said Mallard had gotten into a physical altercation with Robertson. During the fight, Mallard took out a gun and shot his opponent.

A 2011 report from the Jersey Journal revealed that Mallard was a member of the 52 Hoover Street Crips gang. He was one of the first defendants prosecuted under the state's 2008 Gang Criminality law which allowed prosecutors to group gang members . The report also said Robertson was a rival gang member.

🚨 Unanswered questions remain in killing

Despite Mallard's arrest, the prosecutor's office said that the investigation is ongoing and that officials would not yet release additional information.

While the killing is being treated as an act of domestic violence, prosecutors have not disclosed how or when Mendoza was killed.

A GoFundMe raising money for Mendoza's daughters, who are one and three years old, said that investigators have video of the Lindenwold mom dropping off her kids at her mother's home in Jersey City. The page, which had raised over $36,000 as of Sunday afternoon, also said video showed the person who she was with during her last hours. Those videos have not been released.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.