On the night of Aug. 7, 2023, Watsonville police officers located 42-year-old Victor Ruiz Alamillo suffering fatal gunshot wounds outside a vehicle parked near their West Beach Street home.
Following him to an agricultural field off Trafton Road in Monterey County, law enforcement engaged Rocha in a more than four-hour standoff before arresting him.
Rocha was deemed to be restored to competency in April, enabling a change-of-plea hearing during which he pleaded not guilty by way of insanity.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy explained that Rocha may face back-to-back trials determining both guilt of murder and his mental state at the time.
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