Overview

• Jurors from St. Charles County reached their decision Wednesday after beginning penalty deliberations late Tuesday morning.
• The panel found two statutory aggravators, ruling the murder was "outrageously and wantonly vile" with "depravity of mind" and that Officer Daniel Vasquez was killed while on duty.
• The circuit judge will impose the final sentence on Nov. 24 in Liberty, Missouri, with the jury’s recommendation guiding the decision.
• The defense sought life without parole, presenting testimony about autism spectrum disorder, a borderline IQ and severe childhood trauma, which prosecutors disputed as mitigating.
• State evidence emphasized dashcam footage, Rocha’s recorded admission and videos of him firing guns, while the defense says it will appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.