LIBERTY, Mo. -- Joshua Rocha, a man found guilty of killing North Kansas City police officer Daniel Vasquez, was sentenced to death Wednesday by a jury.

News of the sentencing comes six days after a jury found Rocha guilty of first-degree murder for the July 2022 shooting.

Since Rocha's conviction was announced, the jurors from St. Charles County, Missouri, have been hearing testimony in the sentencing portion of the trial.

Tuesday concluded the closing statements, and the jury was dismissed to begin its deliberations at about 10:30 a.m.

Jurors had to decide if the mitigating circumstances outweighed the statutory aggravating circumstances. Meaning the jurors had to decide if Rocha would receive the death penalty or spend his life behind bars.

After a weekend of cross-examinations and

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