Driver accused of killing Farmington Hills parents of 6 skipped court dates for armed robbery
Forfeited bond twice in Oakland, Wayne counties
The man accused of slamming a stolen pickup truck into a Farmington Hills couple, killing them earlier this month, had two bench warrants issued earlier after he skipped court appearances for armed robbery and drug possession charges, records show.
Angel Melendez-Ortiz, 35, of Romulus, is held in the Oakland County Jail on a $1.5 million bond for charges of second-degree murder and six other felonies in connection with the Jan. 6, 2024 fatal crash in Southfield that took the lives of Ryan and Jennifer Ambrosio and left their six young children orphaned. Prosecutors say 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 in Southfield. The Ambrosios were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Oakland Press finds that Melendez-Ortiz is no stranger to the criminal justice system, having been charged last year with armed robbery in Romulus and, in 2020, possession of controlled substances/cocaine in Farmington Hills. In both cases, he forfeited bond when he failed to appear for scheduled court proceedings, records show.
For the armed robbery charge, Melendez-Ortiz skipped out on a July 2023 show cause hearing in 34th District Court in Romulus, forfeiting the $500 bond he’d posted the month prior — as listed in that court file. District Judge Lisa Martin then issued a bench warrant for his arrest. His court file shows he was homeless at the time. When he was taken into custody for the armed robbery charge in May 2023, Melendez-Ortiz had a bench warrant out of Oakland County Circuit Court for the 2020 drug charge, records state. That had been issued when he didn’t appear there for a June 2021 hearing, forfeiting a $1,000 bond.
Melendez-Ortiz was booked into the Oakland County Jail on Jan. 10 after being released from an area hospital where he’d been treated for injuries from the Jan. 6 crash. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 24, for a probable cause conference before 46th District Judge Shelia Johnson, in Southfield.
Funeral services for the Ambrosios were held Jan. 13.