VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — A man from Santa Paula, California, was found guilty of murdering a man and woman in 1993, officials say.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release that Everardo Meza Alamillo was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his estranged wife, Adriana Meza, and her boyfriend, Armando Cauich Jr., in 1993.
The district attorney’s office said that on Oct. 13, 1993, Alamillo went to Adriana Meza’s house to visit their daughter. Adriana Meza allowed the visit because she wanted Alamillo to be in their daughter’s life.
Alamillo left the house and came back later that night with a .22-caliber rifle. According to KTLA, he entered the house from the back door, walked up to the bedroom, and killed both Adriana Meza and Cauich, who were in bed.
Alamillo reportedly shot Adriana Meza three times and Cauich twice. The district attorney’s office said Alamillo’s 2-year-old daughter was sleeping between the two when they were killed.
Alamillo left the country shortly after the murders, according to KTLA. He was indicted in 1994 for two murder counts but was not arrested until November 2015 after he was located in Mexico. In July 2016, he was extradited to the United States to stand trial.
“I am so happy for Adriana’s and Armando’s families,” Senior Deputy District Attorney John Barrick said in the news release. “For almost 30 years, they have lived with the pain and burden of knowing that the man who murdered their loved ones had eluded justice. That all ended today.”
Alamillo is expected to be sentenced on June 16, according to the district attorney’s office.
