On the day his trial was to start in Oakland County, a Romulus man pleaded to murder, drunk driving and other charges in connection with the deaths of a Farmington Hills couple — the parents of six young children — in a traffic crash last year.
Appearing before Oakland County Circuit Judge David Cohen on Tuesday morning, Angel Melendez-Ortiz, 36, pleaded no contest to the 10 felonies he was charged with: Two counts each of second-degree murder, operating while intoxicated causing death, first-degree fleeing and eluding, reckless driving causing death, and driving while license suspended/revoked. The wrong-way traffic crash on M-10 in Southfield killed Ryan and Jennifer Ambosio on Jan. 6, 2024.
According to prosecutors, Melendez-Ortiz was speeding in a stolen pickup truck — driving the wrong way on M-10 with the lights off while being pursued by Michigan State Police — when he crashed into the Ambrosios’ GMC Terrain. The Ambrosios were pronounced dead at the scene.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some liability protection in civil cases…