SANTA CRUZ — A Watsonville man charged with murdering his housemate and spending hours in an agricultural field standoff with police has changed his plea to not guilty by way of insanity.
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. Tipped off with a vehicle description linked to the alleged shooter, officers located Hector Rocha, 45, inside the mint green 1967 Chevrolet single-cab truck the next day. 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.
The court suspended Rocha’s criminal proceedings in October 2023 and ordered him into the care of a state hospital to restore his competency. Rocha was deemed to be restored to competency in April.
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At a change-of-plea hearing Thursday, Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy explained that Rocha may face back-to-back trials. Should a jury find him guilty of charges including murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, illegally possessing ammunition, assault with a semiautomatic rifle, possession of a semiautomatic rifle and possession of an assault weapon, the jury then will reconvene to determine if he was insane at the time of the killing. In the second trial, Guy said the defense will have the burden of proof instead of the prosecution.
Guy appointed two independent medical health professionals to assess Rocha and report back to the court by Nov. 22.