Watsonville man charged in fatal shooting pleads insanity defense – Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ – A Watsonville man charged with murdering his roommate and an hours-long standoff with police in a farm field has changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.

On the night of August 7, 2023, Watsonville police officers located 42-year-old Victor Ruiz Alamillo suffering fatal gunshot wounds outside a vehicle parked near their home on West Beach Street. The next day, after obtaining a vehicle description linked to the suspected shooter, officers located 45-year-old Hector Rocha in the mint green 1967 Chevrolet single-cab truck. Police followed him to an agricultural field on Trafton Road in Monterey County and engaged Rocha in a more than four-hour standoff before arresting him.

The court closed criminal proceedings against Rocha in October 2023 and ordered him to be admitted to a state hospital to restore his ability to function. Rocha was considered recovered in April.