A man accused of killing his wife and leaving her for dead in a wooded area in Miami-Dade back in 2022 was sentenced Thursday to 55 years behind bars.
Jose Luis Pacheco pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in the killing of his estranged wife Mimose Dulcio.
The sentencing comes nearly two years after the 39-year-old went missing from her Broward County home back in November of 2022.
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Days later, investigators found a woman’s body in a wooded area near the 5500 block of Northwest 204th Street in Miami-Dade County.
The family suspected Pacheco early on, pointing to the couple's messy divorce.
Broward Sheriff's Office officials said the couple were in the process of getting a divorce but had been sharing a home.
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A search warrant was obtained for the couple's home and shared vehicle. During the search, investigators found evidence that suggested Dulcio had been murdered in the couple's home, and that her body had been transported in the couple's vehicle and disposed of in an unknown location, officials said.
In court on Thursday, Pacheco initially pleaded no contest, but after listening to family impact statements, the judge decided he would only accept a guilty plea.
Pacheco accepted.
Pacheco was sentenced to 55 years in state prison with a minimum term of 30 years.
