Man Convicted Of Santa Paula Double Murder Sentenced To Life Without Parole (Times Two)

Wednesday September 06, 2023

(Photo courtesy VCDA)

     Update--A Ventura County judge Wednesday sentenced a convicted double murderer to two consecutive terms of Life in Prison with No Chance of Parole.

     Last May a jury convicted 54-year-old Everardo Meza Alamillo on two counts of First Degree Murder in the October 1993 shooting deaths of his estranged wife, 21-year-old Adriana Meza, and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Armando Cauich Junior, in her Santa Paula home.

     Alamillo's two-year-old daughter was asleep next to her mother when the two victims were killed.

     Alamillo fled to Mexico after the killings where he stayed until being extradited back to the United States in July of 2016.

     Mexico will not extradite a suspect if the suspect might face the death penalty so the Life Without Parole sentences was the most Ventura County prosecutors could seek.

     The first trial was held three years ago but resulted in a mistrial when the the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

     There was no such problem with the retrial this year.

     The jury returned verdicts after less than a day of deliberations.

     The jury in the retrial, in addition to finding Alamillo Guilty of two counts of First Degree Murder, also found true the Special Circumstance Allegation of more than one murder plus several other special allegations including use of a firearm.

     In addition to the two consecutive Life Without Parole sentences, the judge also tacked on ten consecutive years.