EVERETT, Wash. — In a surprise move, the man accused of shooting and killing Everett Police Officer Dan Rocha last month has indicated that he wants to plead guilty.
Richard Rotter, 50, is charged with aggravated first-degree murder with a firearm allegation, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree and possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture.
"Mr. Rotter wishes to enter pleas of guilty in all three counts," said public defender Natalie Tarantino during a hearing Tuesday.
Due to some technicalities, the plea was not immediately accepted, but Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis said the guilty pleas could be entered on Monday at 10 a.m. Both sides agreed to that decision.
Rotter is accused of shooting Rocha in the head three times at point blank range during an interaction in a Starbucks parking lot in north Everett on March 25.
Rocha approached Rotter after seeing him moving guns from one car to another.
Body-worn camera captured Rocha radioing to dispatch, who told Rocha that Rotter had outstanding warrants for his arrest, including domestic violence assault from another county. Rotter also told Rocha that he was a convicted felon.
Witness cellphone video shows Rocha try to detain Rotter near the back of his Mini Cooper. Rotter began to “fight” with Rocha, and they fell to the ground. Witness video shows Rotter shooting Rocha in the head three times, according to documents. Prosecutors said Rotter fired two additional shots from his own gun, but they were blocked by the officer's Kevlar vest.
Court documents indicate the entire encounter was caught on the officer's body camera, including the point where the suspect ran over Rocha as he lay dying outside the Starbucks "where the body camera ends up facing upwards, motionless. The officer's firearm and Taser still in their holsters."
Everett police found Rotter and began chasing him after seeing Rotter run a stoplight. The pursuit ended in a crash and Rotter was taken into custody.
Rotter is being held without bail after prosecutors said he was a danger to the community.
Rotter has a felony record dating back to 1985, with 13 convictions for everything from burglary and assault to drug possession. He has 43 misdemeanor convictions.
Friends and relatives told investigators they believed Rotter was "one of the main fentanyl dealers in the Tri-Cities" and was in Everett to "buy and sell guns or drugs."
If police were to try to arrest him, Rotter told them police "would not take him alive."
If Rotter pleads guilty, prosecutors and Rocha’s family wouldn’t have to endure a trial.
If convicted of aggravated first-degree murder, Rotter would face a life sentence without the possibility of parole, according to court documents.