FAYETTEVILLE -- The capital murder trial of a Springdale man accused of killing his mother was reset Monday because a mental examination to determine his fitness to proceed has not been completed.
Springdale police say Scott Aaron Rocha, 31, shot his mother to death, tried to clean blood out of the house and then went on a beer run.
The body of Frances Idell Rocha, 65, was found in the garage at 3547 Loblolly Place early March 8, according to the preliminary arrest report. Both Rochas lived at the residence.
The trial is set to start Dec. 15 in Washington Circuit Court. If convicted of capital murder, Rocha faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Pat Aydelott III is handling the capital murder trial as a death penalty case although Matt Durrett, chief deputy prosecutor, said he hasn't decided whether to seek the death penalty.
Aydelott asked in August for a mental evaluation for Rocha with the results sealed.
Aydelott has filed motions challenging the state's death penalty. The motions contend the death penalty is cruel and unusual and violates the U.S. and Arkansas constitutions.
Rocha told police he shot his mother and intended to kill himself, according to a police report. He told police he tried to dispose of the body but couldn't get it in the car, and he walked to a liquor store for more beer after the shooting, according to the report.
A mop soaked in blood was found in the kitchen, and it appeared Rocha tried to clean up after the shooting, according to police records.
Rocha told police he argued with his mother when she came home and found he had been drinking all day, according to records. He told officers he was waving a pistol and it went off accidentally.
Officers went to the house at 12:48 a.m. after James Allen, a friend of Scott Rocha, reported a possible suicide. Allen told police Rocha called him and threatened to kill himself, according to the report. After talking for about an hour, the call ended. Allen told police he called back, and Rocha didn't answer.
Officers entered the house through an unlocked front door after seeing blood on a chair and the floor, according to records. Rocha came out of a back bedroom and said the blood was his mother's.
Frances Rocha's body had a towel wrapped around her head and a large bullet wound in her skull, according to the report.
NW News on 09/23/2014