The mastermind behind the 2016 murder of prize-winning environmental and Indigenous rights leader Berta Cáceres was convicted of homicide on Monday. Roberto David Castillo Mejía was unanimously found guilty after a three-month trial for being part of Cáceres’ murder. Castillo Mejía will remain jailed at an army base while until his sentencing on Aug. 2. His sentence could be between 24 and 30 years. Seven men were sentenced in relation to Cáceres’ murder back in December 2019. Four received 34 years for the murder and 16 years for attempted murder. The other three received 30-year sentences for their participation. The killers acted on behalf of Desa, a company building a dam that was opposed by Cáceres. Castillo Mejía, who led the project, paid the hitmen to carry out the murder.

Cáceres was a co-founder of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras. She opposed the Agua Zarca dam project, which was to be built on the Gualcarque River. The dam project has been halted.