Biloxi man sentenced on multiple child sexual abuse charges

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- A Biloxi man will serve two consecutive life sentences on multiple child sexual abuse charges.

Forty-five-year-old Ellis Cenales was sentenced without the possibility of parole.

Cenales was found guilty on three counts of sexual battery, three counts of exploitation of a child, and two counts of touching of a child for lustful purposes.

According to Assistant Director Attorney Mara Joffe the jury heard evidence that the victim told a family member and law enforcement that Cenales had sexually abused her for a decade, since she was five years old.

A registered nurse also indicated to the jury that the victim suffered significant physical trauma.

The victim further testified that Cenales would make her send him pornographic photos or have her undress on video calls.

The child waited to report the abuse due to Cenales’ ongoing physical abuse of her and her mother, which included an incident where he stabbed the victim’s mother in her presence.

Biloxi Police searched Cenales home for all electronic devices. He attempted to flee before he was captured by officers. A cell phone was recovered from Cenales, which had photographs of Cenales and the victim as well as thousands of text messages between the two.

He was arrested on January 30, 2024 after officers found him hiding under a bed upstairs.

Cenales was found guilty on all counts. He was charged as a life habitual offender. The jury heard further testimony which dated back to the 90s and included a felony domestic violence-aggravated assault conviction for having stabbed another woman in 2007. The jury returned a second verdict that Cenales qualified as a habitual offender under Mississippi law.