Mario Rocha

Los Angeles County prosecutors announced Tuesday 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 attorneys from a downtown law firm who worked on the case for free. Deputy Dist. Atty.

Los Angeles County prosecutors announced Tuesday 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 attorneys from a downtown law firm who worked on the case for free. Deputy Dist. Atty.

An appellate court Wednesday overturned the conviction of a man found guilty of murder as a teen, arguing that the trial attorney conducted such a flawed investigation that the man did not receive a fair trial. The 10-page opinion from the California 2nd District Court of Appeal was a victory for Mario Rocha and his supporters, who have long argued that he is innocent of the crime.

Mario Rocha spent his first night out of prison lying on a blanket on the roof of his cousin's El Sereno garage, reading by flashlight -- Luis Rodriguez's gang memoir "Always Running" and the writing handbook "The Elements of Style," by William Strunk and E.B. White. Just a boy of 16 when he was locked up 10 years ago, Rocha, now 27, fell asleep savoring the starlit sky and awoke Friday to face the limelight.

Mario Rocha spent his first night out of prison lying on a blanket on the roof of his cousin's El Sereno garage, reading by flashlight -- Luis Rodriguez's gang memoir "Always Running" and the writing handbook "The Elements of Style," by William Strunk and E.B. White. Just a boy of 16 when he was locked up 10 years ago, Rocha, now 27, fell asleep savoring the starlit sky and awoke Friday to face the limelight.

Sister Janet Harris swore she would never do it again. Three decades ago, her dogged gumshoe work helped win a retrial and an acquittal for a young gangbanger convicted of attempted murder during a supermarket heist. Harris' efforts took almost two years and left her emotionally drained. But when Harris learned the details of the case of Mario Rocha, a 16-year-old Highland Park youth convicted of murder and attempted murder, she couldn't help but launch into amateur detective mode once again.

There is the Roman Catholic nun who worked as a chaplain at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall. A group of high-powered, white-collar lawyers from a premier law firm ensconced in one of downtown L.A.'s skyscrapers. And a Latino family from Highland Park devastated by a son sentenced to life in prison. Ordinarily, their lives might never have crossed -- except for Mario. He was only 16, Mario Rocha would later write, when police officers burst into his bedroom with guns drawn on Feb.

Christine Aceves Hansbrough watched quietly for 10 years as the man she believes killed her son at a Highland Park party became famous. Mario Rocha was found guilty of the Feb. 16, 1996, murder of Hansbrough's son, Martin Aceves, but the conviction was overturned, and Catholic and Hollywood figures have proclaimed his innocence. Now, as a judge today considers releasing Rocha on bail, Hansbrough has decided to break her silence. "All I want is another trial.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge set $1-million bail Friday for Mario Rocha, who is awaiting retrial on charges of murdering a 17-year-old high school student at a Highland Park party in 1996. Rocha's conviction was overturned after a campaign, led by a Catholic nun, to persuade authorities that the evidence against him was flimsy. The California 2nd District Court of Appeal, in its December decision, ruled that Rocha's trial attorney had provided an inadequate defense.

In an impassioned plea for a new trial, an attorney argued Wednesday that a man who was convicted of murder as a teenager in effect "had no trial counsel," because the performance of his lawyer was so deficient. "His incarceration is unjust and unlawful because he has never been tried fairly for his alleged crimes," said attorney Robert Long of Latham & Watkins, which represents Mario Rocha, 26.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge set $1-million bail Friday for Mario Rocha, who is awaiting retrial on charges of murdering a 17-year-old high school student at a Highland Park party in 1996. Rocha's conviction was overturned after a campaign, led by a Catholic nun, to persuade authorities that the evidence against him was flimsy. The California 2nd District Court of Appeal, in its December decision, ruled that Rocha's trial attorney had provided an inadequate defense.

Christine Aceves Hansbrough watched quietly for 10 years as the man she believes killed her son at a Highland Park party became famous. Mario Rocha was found guilty of the Feb. 16, 1996, murder of Hansbrough's son, Martin Aceves, but the conviction was overturned, and Catholic and Hollywood figures have proclaimed his innocence. Now, as a judge today considers releasing Rocha on bail, Hansbrough has decided to break her silence. "All I want is another trial.

There is the Roman Catholic nun who worked as a chaplain at Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall. A group of high-powered, white-collar lawyers from a premier law firm ensconced in one of downtown L.A.'s skyscrapers. And a Latino family from Highland Park devastated by a son sentenced to life in prison. Ordinarily, their lives might never have crossed -- except for Mario. He was only 16, Mario Rocha would later write, when police officers burst into his bedroom with guns drawn on Feb.

An appellate court Wednesday overturned the conviction of a man found guilty of murder as a teen, arguing that the trial attorney conducted such a flawed investigation that the man did not receive a fair trial. The 10-page opinion from the California 2nd District Court of Appeal was a victory for Mario Rocha and his supporters, who have long argued that he is innocent of the crime.

In an impassioned plea for a new trial, an attorney argued Wednesday that a man who was convicted of murder as a teenager in effect "had no trial counsel," because the performance of his lawyer was so deficient. "His incarceration is unjust and unlawful because he has never been tried fairly for his alleged crimes," said attorney Robert Long of Latham & Watkins, which represents Mario Rocha, 26.

Sister Janet Harris swore she would never do it again. Three decades ago, her dogged gumshoe work helped win a retrial and an acquittal for a young gangbanger convicted of attempted murder during a supermarket heist. Harris' efforts took almost two years and left her emotionally drained. But when Harris learned the details of the case of Mario Rocha, a 16-year-old Highland Park youth convicted of murder and attempted murder, she couldn't help but launch into amateur detective mode once again.

Sixty-four inmates escaped from Mexico's Sinaloa state penitentiary after they seized rifles from the armory and fought a gun battle with guards, authorities reported. Three inmates were reported killed in the shootout with guards. Authorities said the escapees took the warden, Maximo Torres Toledo, with them as a hostage, but he was freed later. Mario Rocha Reyes, a spokesman for the Sinaloa district attorney's office, said that seven escapees were recaptured by highway patrolmen.

A thick wall of bulletproof glass and a beefy armed security guard may sound a bit excessive for a nondescript Los Angeles city office where motorists appeal parking tickets and beseech hearing officers to release their towed cars. But the office can bring out the worst in its visitors. Here, police officers, priests and U.S. Secret Service agents have tried to use their positions to get out of tickets. Some of those who come to protest end up begging. Others cry or plead.