Insets, from left: Samuel Matthew Rocha (Ventura County District Attorney) and Pedro Valdez (GoFundMe). Background: The intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Ventura Road in Port Hueneme, California (Google Maps).
A 33-year-old California man is headed to prison after he rammed a group of bicyclists with his Lexus, killing a 16-year-old boy and leaving him to die before dribi before he drove away, leaving the boy to die.
Samuel Matthew Rocha was sentenced to 27 years to life behind bars Wednesday in the death of Pedro Valdez, the Ventura County District Attorney”s Office said in a press release. Rocha pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
“A tragic loss of life occurred because of Mr. Rocha’s actions,” prosecutor Richard Simon said in a statement. “While his acceptance of responsibility is an important step, it cannot undo the devastating consequences of his actions. Pedro Valdez is missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
On April 19, 2021, Rocha saw a group of seven bicyclists riding near Pleasant Valley Road and Ventura Road in Port Hueneme, which is about 60 miles west of Los Angeles. For reasons not described in the press release, Rocha made a “deliberate decision” to steer his car into the group. In addition to Pedro, he hit four others, seriously injuring two of them.
He then fled the scene and drove to his mother’s apartment complex. A witness followed him and called police, who responded and arrested him.
Police later learned that Rocha was involved in a violent incident about 10 minutes before he hit the bicyclists. He assaulted a man and woman at a laundromat and intentionally hit an employee with his car in the parking lot.
In that case, a jury convicted Rocha of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of battery in April.
One of Pedro’s classmates described him on a GoFundMe page.
“Pedro was a selfless and bright young man, he was the light in a dark room, he was caring kind and always knew how to make others feel better. He was an amazing friend and he will be missed dearly by everyone who cared for him,” she wrote.
