He was found guilty of one of the most brutal double murders we've ever reported on - and now, Wilmer Escobar will spend two life sentences in jail for it. Four years ago in January of 2018, he killed and raped the Oh sisters, 17 year old Josephina and 19 year old Crecencia on a village road near San Antonio, Toledo.
Today in the Southern Session of the Supreme Court, Justice Antonette Moore sentenced the 24 year old Bella Vista resident to double terms of life in prison - which are to run concurrently.
He will be eligible for parole after 35 years - with his time served deducted that will now be 30 years and 8 months. This is the heaviest sentence for murder which can now be imposed since capital punishment is no longer upheld.
The sisters were walking from a church service to their home village of San Antonio when they were assaulted near San Jose Village. He savagely attacked the young women - who were strangers to him - and killed them with chop wounds to the head. Forensic evidence shows he then raped them both; they were found both partially nude on the road. The vicious killing of two innocents stirred outrage and incomprehension in the community.
The trial without jury started in November of last year - with the now deceased Herbert Panton defending Escobar and Senior Crown Counsel Javier Chan prosecuting. The case pivoted on a confession statement that Escobar gave to police where he admitted to killing both women - and confessed to raping one of them. The admissibility of that statement secured the guilty verdict.
