LIBERTY, Mo. -- A jury has convicted Joshua Rocha of murder in connection with the death of North Kansas City police officer Daniel Vasquez.
Rocha was convicted of first-degree murder nearly two hours after the jury left the courtroom to begin their deliberations.
On Thursday morning, closing arguments began in Rocha's trial.
The jury had to decide if Rocha was guilty or not guilty of either first-degree murder or second-degree murder.
The state made its closing argument first.
“That’s the lynchpin in this entire case: deliberation,” one of the prosecutors said.
The prosecution showed a clip of the dashcam video from Vasquez’s car the morning of the deadly shooting
Prosecutors said Rocha had 48 seconds between the time he saw Vasquez’s car behind him and when he was pulled over. The