A Orange Cove man was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2017 murders of two Orange Cove residents, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Jairo Mancilla, 35, was sentenced by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Brian Alvarez after a jury found him guilty June 10 during a retrial of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and firearm enhancements.

Mancilla was convicted in the deaths of Javier Lizaola Jr., 24, and Alexander Esquibel, 27, who were killed on March 10, 2017.

Prosecutors said evidence presented during the 11-day retrial showed Lizaola and Esquibel had left the Citrus Mini Mart in Orange Cove and were walking along a bicycle and pedestrian trail near Railroad Avenue when they passed Mancilla, who was sitting on a nearby park bench.

According to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, a brief verbal exchange occurred before Mancilla pulled out a handgun and shot both men.

The investigation, led by Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, included interviews with witnesses who identified Mancilla as the shooter. Mancilla was arrested April 21, 2017.

The case lasted more than nine years after Mancilla’s original conviction was overturned on appeal, requiring the victims’ families to go through a second trial.

During Thursday’s sentencing, family members spoke about the lasting impact of the murders and asked the court to impose a sentence that would prevent Mancilla from harming another family.

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