Convicted Murderer Gets Two Life Sentences

Two lives were lost, and today the man convicted of their murders was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The High Court has sentenced Miguelito Encalada to two life sentences after he was found guilty of the murders of his wife, Desiree Gonzalez, and his brother, George Rochester, who were both fatally shot in broad daylight in Ladyville in April 2023.

Back in May, Justice Candace Nanton rejected Encalada’s claim that armed intruders stormed his business, killed the two victims, and spared him. Instead, the court found that the evidence, including forensic findings linking the murders to Encalada’s licensed firearm, proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Under Belizean law, however, while a judge can impose a life sentence, the courts have ruled that offenders must also be given a fixed minimum term to serve before they become eligible to apply for parole.