“No one has learned a lesson here, and that’s the problem,” one Nashville mother said.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A multi-county chase ended with two teens behind bars, but it wasn’t until their names were released that one Nashville mother was left shocked. That’s because one of the suspects was one she knew well.
“Dear Aaliyah, you were such an amazing person and friend to me,” the girl’s mother, Natalie Chastain, read aloud. “I honestly can’t wait to see you again — one day. I love you so much.”
Chastain read a letter from her daughter’s classmate. That letter came from a special area in her home dedicated to her 13-year-old daughter. Aaliyah Ingram left home late one night on Nov. 21, 2022. By morning, when Ingram never returned home, Chastain knew something was wrong.
She would later find out that her daughter had been found dead in the Paragon Mills area. Later, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) released more details, including a photo of a man wanted for questioning at the time. Officers believed the young man knew about the “single-vehicle crash” that critically injured Ingram; however, the circumstances of how she was hit by the vehicle were still under investigation.
“How can a violent crime, be given probation? It just should have never even happened,” Chastain said. “I knew it. I knew it would be a matter of time before he messed up again.”
However, it’s what happened behind closed doors in the courtroom that put her on edge.
“I knew it. I knew it would be a matter of time before he messed up again,” she said.
Eduardo Melendez-Pineda, 18, was one of two teens charged in Aaliyah’s death. In August, Melendez-Pineda appeared in Juvenile Court to have the case transferred to an adult court. During the proceedings, Melendez-Pineda plead guilty to criminally negligent homicide as an adult. His sentence, according to court records, was three years of supervised probation.
“It is like a slap in the face to see him back out here after he killed my daughter, knowing he had another chance to kill someone else,” Chastain said. “And who’s to say he won’t get out again and does?”
Less than two months later, Pineda was arrested for carjacking. This past Friday, according to the MNPD, Melendez-Pineda allegedly approached the driver’s side before firing one shot into the SUV and one shot in the air during the robbery.
When he entered Mt. Juliet, a license plate reader got a hit on the carjacked SUV, sparking a pursuit by members of the Mt. Juliet Police Department (MJPD). At the time, Melendez-Pineda had a 15-year-old girl with him and had picked up a 17-year-old boy on the way.
According to officials, the RAV4 traveled back into Davidson County, where it crashed at the intersection of Hobson Pike and Smith Springs Parkway. All three occupants allegedly ran away as the vehicle caught on fire.
Law enforcement said Melendez-Pineda was quickly captured, but an MNPD helicopter pilot noticed him toss a black bag. Law enforcement recovered the bag, which contained a handgun.
“That’s why he’s smiling in his mug shot. He’s gotten away with a murder and now here he is carjacking people and shooting into the cars of the people he’s carjacking. You could have shot and killed somebody, but at the end of the day he doesn’t care because there were no repercussions,” Aaliyah’s mother said. “No one has learned a lesson here, and that’s the problem.”
Melendez-Pineda is scheduled to go before a Judge on Oct. 22. In this most recent Mt. Juliet case, he refused to be interviewed and has been held on a bond of $82,500.