And in news of a another major conviction coming out of the Supreme Court out west.
He was accused of one of the surprising number of beheadings that have happened in the Cayo South area - and Rafael Mencias has been sentenced to life in imprisonment for it.
Mencias decapitated 56 year old Cotton Tree resident Hilton Wayne Wade back in November of 2017.
Wade was a collector of discarded bottles, and would gather fruit and coconuts rom the village and surrounding areas. His profile was that of a harmless and solitary figure int he village, but Mencias - who had killed before - gave him a cruel end. He stabbed him multiple times, and then severed his head - and then set his home on fire. Police found Wade's body about 20 yards behind his house but - in a ghastly roadside scene - his head was found at a nearby bus stop in Cotton Tree.
Police believed it was a property dispute.
So, Mencias gets sentenced to prison for a second killing. The last time he was convicted of killing a Corozal man by stabbing him 14 times. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison - but got parole after only 7. Months after getting out on parole, he killed Wade. In this latest sentencing, he must serve 35 years before he is eligible for parole
