Prosecutors happy with death sentence for NKC officer’s killer: ‘We got justice for Daniel’
A tense Clay County courtroom overflowed with people Wednesday, all waiting for a jury to deliver convicted killer Joshua Rocha a sentence of either life without parole or probation or death by execution for the July 2022 murder of North Kansas City police officer Daniel Vasquez.
A sequestered jury from St. Charles County, Missouri, deliberated for almost 24 hours before handing down their decision. The courtroom, filled with loved ones for Vasquez and Rocha, as well as law enforcement, was more packed than it had been any day throughout the week and a half-long trial.
Then, the jury handed Rocha a sentence of death by execution. Rocha was the first person Clay County prosecutors had sought the death penalty for since 1988.
Rocha’s face was blank and emotionless after he was given his fate, his standard expression throughout the trial.
Loved ones for both families had tears streaming down their cheeks.
One of Vasquez’s sisters, Areli Vasquez Nunez, anxiously tapped her foot throughout the two-week trial. She grabbed her sister’s hand after the verdict was read.
Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson turned around from his seat to shake hands with Vasquez’s family, as Clay County Circuit Court Judge David Chamberlain read the jury its final instructions.
After the short sentencing reading, Vasquez’s loved ones poured into the public area of the courthouse, hugging each other, prosecutors and North Kansas City police officers, pleased with the trial’s outcome.
“We got justice for Daniel today,” Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said in a press conference after the trial. Thompson tried the case alongside assistant prosecuting attorneys Rob Sanders, Spencer Curtis and Savina Balano.
Vasquez was North Kansas City police’s first line of duty death.
“I want everyone to know that Daniel earned his badge because he wanted to serve others,” Thompson said. “He sought the role not to elevate himself, but as part of a greater calling to make the world a better place.”
What the jury saw in court
Rocha, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder last Thursday in a Clay County courtroom, advancing the trial to the sentencing stage, with the knowledge he would never go free again.
Thompson also said Rocha is facing another charge for possession of child pornography. Since that case is open and pending, he decline to share details.
Dash cam footage of the officer’s killing played in the courtroom showed Rocha shooting Vasquez three times with an AR-15, including two misfires, during a traffic stop on July 19, 2022, after being pulled over for expired tags. Vasquez’s body was left in the middle of the road at Clay Street and East 21st Avenue after Rocha quickly drove away, according to the footage.
Thirteen witnesses testified on Rocha’s behalf: mental health experts, family members, and other people in Rocha’s life explained how his traumatic background and mental impairments impacted his life. Rocha never took the witness stand .
Clay County prosecutors presented more than 30 witnesses, which included investigators, Vasquez’s family and friends, and Rocha’s detention officers. Their testimonies supplied evidence, such as dash cam footage, videos of Rocha shooting and 3D printing guns, police interviews with Rocha and his mother, and incidents where Rocha was found with contraband in prison.
Some detectives spoke about how investigating a police shooting affected them personally. Vasquez’s loved ones and co-workers described their experiences with Vasquez and how they’ve attempted to cope since his death.
Vasquez’s loved ones did not speak during the press conference but stood behind Thompson and prosecutors, alongside North Kansas City police chief Kevin Freeman.
“They want the community to know that they appreciate everything that has been done for them,” Thompson said.
Freeman and North Kansas City Mayor Jesse Smith said they are pleased with the sentence, although it won’t bring back Vasquez, whose death feels like it just happened.
“No matter what happens, Joshua was not going to be back among us, and that’s really the goal,” Smith said. “I’m happy with whatever happened, but I’m pleased with how justice was done.”
“We wanted to make sure that we show that accountability still means something in Clay County, and that’s what the jurors returned today,” Freeman said. A public safety memorial for Vasquez and three fallen firefighters has been erected in NKC’s city hall on Tuesday, according to Freeman.
“There’s still new wounds, reopened wounds, and so we want to make sure that our people are okay, and that they’re still able to go out and do their jobs.”
Vasquez was shot in the face as he walked up to Rocha’s window from his service vehicle, touching the left taillight on Rocha’s Ford Taurus along the way. Prosecutors called the shooting an “execution” and “an ambush” because of its circumstances.
NKC officers who testified said they were cautious to make traffic stops directly after the shooting, some mentioning making some traffic stops with assistance from other officers.
Freeman said protocols have not changed in the department and were never considered, explaining Vasquez followed proper procedure during his last traffic stop.
“Every stop is a potential dangerous situation,” Freeman stated. “I wish we didn’t have to wear Kevlar and take all the protections that we do, but it is something that we have to do. There’s no question that there’s people out there with evil in their hearts that want to hurt the police just because we’re the police.”
Who Daniel Vasquez was
During the trial, Vasquez’s loved ones described him as an outgoing, warm, vibrant personality who was passionate about serving his community.
Vasquez, 32, enjoyed lifting weights, video games, fishing, and hunting, loved ones said. He played sports and several instruments at J.C. Harmon High School.
He loved learning to grill and eating his mother’s cooking, loved ones said, and would ask her to make extra to feed homeless people.
He always planned to be a police officer, working on his skills as a toddler, detaining pets and stuffed animals. On the witness stand, Vasquez’s brother-in-law, Luis Zuniga, remembered how eager Vasquez was to drive Zuniga’s new Ford Explorer in 2018 because officers drive the same vehicle.
“One day, I’m gonna have one of these and it’s gonna have lights,” Vasquez said according to Zuniga.
Vasquez worked several law enforcement and security jobs, including as a detention officer for the Kansas City police, before becoming an NKC officer in July 2021 after graduating from the Regional Police Academy, according to his obituary.
The academy is where Vasquez met his girlfriend, Katie Filger, who was one of the first officers on the scene of the shooting, according to witness testimony.
A picture of Vasquez flexing his right arm with a big smile on the day he graduated from the academy was the last picture the jury was shown before deliberation.
“If you commit the ultimate crime in Clay County, you will face the full weight of law,” Thompson said.
“He was a friend whose heart was as big as his smile. Today's verdict recognizes the depth of the loss being suffered by Daniel's family and our community as a result of independence decision to gun him down,” Thompson continued.
“My prayers remain with Daniel's family and his brothers and sisters in the North Kansas City Police Department. Thank you to the Kansas City Missouri Police Department for their thorough investigation in the hours and days after this horrific crime.”
