Legal News

Ten years after, Rocha is going home

By Richard Binder

Having served ten years in prison for a murder he insisted he did not commit and threatened for two more years with the possibility of a retrial, Mario Rocha last week heard the charges against him dismissed by Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor.  Prosecutors said they were unable to find the witnesses who testified in the original murder case and as a result "didn't have all the pieces we need to prosecute." 

Rocha was represented pro bono by a team from Latham & Watkins, led by (now retired) partner Robert Long, whose work on Rocha's appeals for nearly eight years resulted in the setting aside of his conviction in 2006. Attorneys Michael Adelson and Joseph Gutierrez served as pro bono criminal counsel for the two years leading up to Rocha's potential retrial.

In a statement for the firm, pro bono counsel Amos E. Hartston writes, "Latham & Watkins is proud to have provided pro bono counsel to Mario Rocha during his long and often difficult struggle to clear his name and enjoy freedom. His courage and perseverance inspired our attorneys and staff, who in turn dedicated tremendous time, energy and legal expertise to Mario's cause. We congratulate Mario and his family on the dismissal of all charges pending against him, and we are confident that Mario will continue to make significant contributions to the community and the cause of justice going forward."

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on November 03, 2008 (boomark / email).