A welfare check prompted by a concerned friend led to the discovery of a beloved mother's body and the arrest of her son in a tragic case that unfolded in Springdale, Arkansas. Frances Idell Rocha, a 65-year-old female, was found deceased in her home from a gunshot wound on March 7, 2014. The events leading to this grim discovery began just after midnight when a friend of her son, 36-year-old Scott Rocha, contacted police to report that Scott was threatening suicide.
Upon arriving at the
Loblolly Lane residence that Frances and Scott shared, officers were met with no response at the door. Peering through the windows, they saw a disturbing scene with large amounts of blood inside the home, which prompted them to make a forced entry. Once inside, they encountered Scott Rocha, who emerged from a bedroom and confessed to shooting his mother, initially claiming it was an accident. He then led the officers to his mother's body which was found in the garage.
The subsequent investigation painted a darker picture of the events that transpired. According to police, Scott Rocha admitted that he and his mother had been arguing throughout the night after he had been drinking all day. He stated that he 'accidentally' shot his mother in the back of the head while waving a gun around. Investigators reported that he then dragged her body to the garage and attempted to place her in a car, presumably to take her to a hospital, but was unable to do so. He covered her with a towel and, at some point after the shooting, went out to buy more beer. He also told officers he had thrown the gun used in the shooting over the White River bridge.
Scott Rocha was taken into custody and subsequently arrested on suspicion of capital murder and tampering with physical evidence. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, he later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and in July 2015, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his mother.
