Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Dominic Melendez-Davis, 36, of no permanent address, was arraigned this morning before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth F. Case on an indictment charging him with one count of Murder in the Second Degree (Class A-I felony).
It is alleged that on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Buffalo Police responded to an apartment complex on Seventh Street for a reported stabbing. The victim, 35-year-old Wilmarie Rivera, was taken by ambulance to ECMC where she was pronounced deceased. The defendant is accused of intentionally causing the death of his girlfriend by stabbing her inside of her apartment.
Melendez-Davis is scheduled to return on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. He remains held without bail.
If convicted of the charge, Melendez-Davis faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
DA Keane commends Officer Joshua Patchett and Officer Ashley Lipinski of Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney John P. Gerken, Jr. of the Homicide Bureau.
As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.