Charges dismissed against Mario Rocha, who was jailed 10 years for a slaying
L.A. County district attorney's office says it will no longer seek to retry the case, and a judge dismisses the charges. Rocha had been found guilty in a 1996 Highland Park slaying.
Los Angeles County prosecutors announced today that they would not retry the case of a 29-year-old man who has long insisted he was wrongfully convicted of a 1996 murder in Highland Park.
The decision marks the end of a 12-year legal odyssey for Mario Rocha and his supporters, who include a Catholic nun and a team of high-powered downtown attorneys working on the case for free.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Grace told a judge in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom that prosecutors were unable to locate some of the witnesses who originally testified against Rocha. As a result, he said, they could not move forward with the case.
Rocha, then 16, was accused of opening fire at a 1996 Highland Park party at which one high school student was killed and another person injured. He was tried as an adult and sentenced to 35 years to life in prison.
Rocha was incarcerated for 10 years before being released on bail in August '06. Today, defense attorney Michael Adelson told the judge that several witnesses at the party say that Rocha had nothing to do with the shooting.
"Before you is someone who many, many . . . believe is factually innocent," he said.
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor dismissed the charges, commending Rocha for staying out of trouble and inspiring unwavering faith among supporters who regularly filled his courtroom.
"There are very few of us who can command that level of respect and love," Pastor told Rocha. "I don't have any doubt . . . that you will go on to serve your friends and community in the future."
Leonard is a Times staff writer
jack.leonard@latimes.com
