Photo: Desiree Gonzalez, deceased Miguel Encalada, detained
It appears that Miguel Encalada, 39, took a selfie that went viral showing the dead bodies of his common-law wife and his brother behind him.
by Charles Gladden
LADYVILLE, Belize District. Thurs. Apr. 20, 2023
A midday double murder — allegedly carried out by a popular barber who killed his common-law-wife and brother as a result of what some are saying was a love triangle — has left the residents of the Vista del Mar area of Ladyville in shock and two families grieving. The accused murderer, Miguel Encalada, 39, apparently took the lives of his girlfriend of three years, Desiree Gonzalez, 50, and his brother, George Rochester, 25, inside his home.
According to initial reports, sometime after noon today, Encalada reportedly rode up on a bicycle to his home at the corner of Scissors Tail Street in Ladyville, where he and Gonzalez lived and where they also operated a restaurant and barber shop, and allegedly caught Gonzalez and Rochester together. He then reportedly entered the establishment and murdered both persons.
What he then proceeded to do is particularly macabre: it appears he then took a selfie while the two bodies lay on the bed behind him in Gonzalez’s room. It was an image that went viral throughout social media, and, while no official police reports on the incident have yet been released, a number of persons are suggesting that the scene was staged — since Gonzalez was found nude while Rochester was semi-nude. It is thus believed that Rochester had been killed outside the establishment and then dragged inside.
While investigations into the incident are currently in the early stages, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reymundo Reyes, Deputy OC for the Eastern Division, told local reporters that both deceased persons suffered what appeared to be head injuries, which may have led to their deaths. However, a post-mortem examination will be done to determine the actual cause of the two victims’ deaths.
Reyes confirmed that Encalada was detained at the scene as a possible murder suspect.
While the families of the two victims are grieving, members of the community are puzzled about the circumstances which led to this tragedy, as Encalada and Gonzalez seemed happy during their time together.
Bernard Bennett, village chairman of Ladyville, spoke to reporters and compared this recent double-murder to the infamous triple murder of members of the Skeen family back in 2012.
“I still can’t believe it up to now; I feel like I’m dreaming,” he said. “All of us grew up together. We grew up going to primary school, and then to high school, and so it’s unbelievable,” he added.
While a motive for the double murder is yet to be established, Gonzalez’s sister, Cindy Rowland, posted a social media comment in which she expressed her belief that her sister was murdered before dawn, and that Encalada retrieved Rochester from his home and then killed him outside the establishment. He then killed Gonzalez and positioned them together on her bed, thus creating the narrative of a love triangle.
Gonzalez leaves behind 6 children, while Rochester leaves behind a toddler.