Ex-Survivor Producer Bruce Beresford-Redman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Wife's Death, Plans to Appeal Decision

Bruce Beresford-Redman and Monica Burgos' families both speak out on verdict stemming from 2010 death of the mother of two

Former Survivor producer Bruce Beresford-Redman has been convicted in Mexico over the 2010 death of his wife Monica Burgos.

Per NBC News, Beresford-Redman was sentenced to 12 years in prison. His family said Thursday he plans to appeal the decision, noting that they were "appalled and disgusted" by the verdict (the exact charges Beresford-Redman was convicted of remain unclear—he was inititally charged with aggravated homicide, a charge which carried a sentence of 20 to 30 years behind bars if convicted).

Burgos' family, however, was satisfied with Beresford-Redman's conviction. Her sister Karla Burgos told NBC Los Angeles, "[The verdict is] a relief for me and my parents."

Beresford-Redman reported his wife missing on Apr. 6, 2010, when she allegedly failed to return from a solo shopping trip on a family vacation in Cancun. Two days later, the mother of two's body was found inside a sewer cistern; an autopsy later revealed she had been strangled.

Mexican police said, per NBC News, hotel guests reported hearing screams from the room, and investigators discovered blood in the room. That said, a court-appointed crime scene expert testified that he couldn't find any forensic evidence linking Beresford-Redman to Burgos' death.
 
Beresford-Redman was extradited to Mexico in 2012. Per NBC News, his parents said their son's conviction "should lead to a reconsideration of the extradition treaty between the United States and Mexico as it is clear that Mexico cannot meet even minimal standards of justice."

"We are appalled and disgusted with this gross miscarriage of justice," David and Juanita Beresford-Redman said in a statement. "Over an exhausting three-and-a-half year period this trial has done nothing but prove Bruce's innocence beyond any doubt. Whatever lies behind this ruling it is based on neither facts nor evidence. This is a disservice to Monica's memory; this is not the justice she and Bruce still deserve and that we continue to demand. At some point, even in Mexico, Bruce's innocence will lead to his freedom."

An attorney for Burgos' family released a very different statement: "It has been nearly five years since they lost their beloved sister. Not a day goes by that they don't miss her terribly and nothing will bring her back but they can finally say that she has received the justice she deserved."

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)