Rocha found guilty

By Phillip Gomez

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Posted: Wednesday, August 29, 2007 3:29 PM CDT

The Calaveras County jury in the Daniel Rocha trial, sequestered on Wednesday morning and deliberating for less than an hour, brought in a verdict of guilty on all counts just before noon.

Rocha hung his head at the table after the verdict was read.

He was found guilty of murder in the first degree, with malice aforethought, and of the special allegation of committing the murder “for the benefit or at the direction of...or in association with the Nortenos, a criminal street gang.” Rocha was also convicted of a second special allegation of being a principal involved in the killing of David Jessop, 19, on March 16, 2005, in which a handgun was used to cause the victim’s death. Aiding and abetting the crime was sufficient to convict Rocha of the charge.

Judge Duane Martin gave the jury his instructions in deciding the case, which stressed using common sense in deciding whether Rocha was telling the truth. Martin’s detailed instructions took almost an hour to read.

“You must decide what the facts are,” Martin told the jury, “based on the evidence presented.... Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but only after you consider the opinions of the other jurors.”

For the complete story, see Friday’s print edition of the Calaveras Enterprise or our e-Edition.

Comment (8 comment(s))

Gang relations wrote on Aug 30, 2007 10:56 AM:

" Call me blind, call me stupid, but is there really a Nortenos gang in VS? I move from the Bay Area to get away from this stuff... Not the "little House on the Prarie" I thought it was. "

Bree wrote on Aug 30, 2007 1:47 PM:

" I am sooooo happy that he got what he deserved I am truly sorry that not just one family but three have lost there children, but karmas not nice and once u put out as much negative energy as rocha has done then its bound to come back 10 fold and well now i hope and pray that all the people involved can heal "

Patriot wrote on Aug 30, 2007 1:49 PM:

" Moving from the Bay Area to VS is not exclusive of gangs. "

Native wrote on Aug 30, 2007 1:51 PM:

" Welcome to Calaveras County, now go home. "

Job Well Done wrote on Aug 30, 2007 2:48 PM:

" Well Mr. Gomez, I am sure you are pleased with that! I sure am, and I applaud the investigators. "

a close friend wrote on Aug 30, 2007 8:57 PM:

" i am sooo glad that finally this jerk is put behiend bars for a long time for the crimes he commited. He is not only a murderer but a very dangerous person. I hope that the ppl that know him and are a part of his "family" take a long hard look at what he has done. He didnt only rob david of his life he took away a wonderfull person and the world will never know what david could have been. the ppl that are blessed enough to know the jessop family are thanking God for the verdict cause b4 this, they had a hard time believing that god can take such a precious person away. Thank you to the DA and the investigators that helped put him away..........U ROCK!!!!!!!!!!! "

Maureen wrote on Aug 30, 2007 11:10 PM:

" The sentiment is that with growth comes prosperity...and Calaveras County's population growth is running full speed ahead. This beautiful county will be burdoned with all off the ills of urban life: congestion, strain on infrastructure, resource availability, an increase in the cost of living, and even gang crime. Voting residents must decide what they want: financial wealth for some or reduced quality of life for all. YOU get to choose! If you don't want the problems of gangs from urban areas and the other blights of city living, DON'T support growth, suburbanization and urban pressures! When you hear growth is good, ask: who is it good for, really? Ask the same question when vineyard acreage expands. Who will the workforce be that harvests and processes the grapes? It may well be an underclass of agricultural workers. Is Calaveras ready to provide community services to this group of marginally employed? Will the vintners pay their share? Sonoma and Napa County's law enforcement is overwhelmed by gang action. Why did this population grow? What is prosperity? Not life with Nortenos! "

another close friend wrote on Sep 3, 2007 10:02 PM:

" It took long enough but I am glad that they are finally doing something about this. Daniel got what he deserved, and I hope that soon David's family will be able to move on from this! And that David may rest in peace! "

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