Man accused of murdering Mimosa Dulcio sentenced to 55 years in prison – NBC 6 South Florida

A man accused of killing his wife in 2022 and leaving her to die in a wooded area in Miami-Dade was sentenced to 55 years in prison on Thursday.

Jose Luis Pacheco pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of his estranged wife, Mimose Dulcio.

The verdict came nearly two years after the 39-year-old disappeared from her Broward County home in November 2022.

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 had suspicions about Pacheco early on, citing the couple's difficult divorce.

Officials with the Broward Sheriff's Office said the couple were in the process of divorcing but had been living in a home together.

A search warrant was obtained for the couple's home and shared vehicle. During the search, investigators found evidence suggesting Dulcio had been murdered in the couple's home and that her body had been transported in the couple's vehicle and disposed of at an unknown location, officials said.

In court on Thursday, Pacheco initially pleaded no contest, but after listening to statements from the family, the judge decided he would only accept a guilty plea.

Pacheco accepted.

Pacheco was sentenced to 55 years in prison with a minimum term of 30 years.