By El Latino Newsroom
A Port Hueneme man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the 2021 death of 16-year-old bicyclist Pedro Valdez after prosecutors said he deliberately used his vehicle to target a group of young cyclists.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Samuel Matthew Rocha, 33, pleaded guilty Aug. 24, 2026, to the murder charge and admitted using his vehicle as a deadly weapon.
Rocha had previously been convicted by a jury in April of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of battery. The jury was unable to reach verdicts on the remaining charges but found true a special allegation that Rocha caused great bodily injury during the commission of a felony.
Four months after the jury’s verdict, Rocha entered his guilty plea to murder, resolving the remaining central allegation in the case.
The prosecution stems from a violent series of incidents on the evening of April 19, 2021, when Rocha allegedly used his Lexus sedan to target a group of seven bicyclists riding near the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Ventura Road in Port Hueneme.
According to prosecutors, Rocha struck five of the bicyclists, killing Valdez and injuring four other minors. Two of the injured teenagers suffered serious injuries.
Rocha fled the scene after striking the bicyclists, but a witness followed him to a nearby apartment complex where Rocha’s mother lived. A Port Hueneme Police Department officer responding to the location subsequently arrested him.
Prosecutors Describe Series of Violent Incidents
The deadly collision was preceded by another series of violent acts involving Rocha and his vehicle, prosecutors said.
Just 11 minutes before he struck the group of bicyclists, Rocha allegedly battered a man and a woman at a laundromat. As he was leaving the parking lot, he intentionally struck an employee with his vehicle, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
The incident in the laundromat parking lot was captured on surveillance video and became part of the evidence presented during the prosecution.
Shortly afterward, Rocha drove toward the area where the seven young bicyclists were riding. Prosecutors said he used his vehicle to deliberately target the group, ultimately striking five of the teenagers.
Valdez, 16, died as a result of the collision. Four other minors were injured, including two who suffered serious injuries.
After the crash, Rocha left the scene in his Lexus sedan. A witness followed him to his mother’s nearby apartment complex, where officers located and arrested him.
The sequence of events formed a central part of the prosecution’s case, establishing that the deadly incident occurred shortly after the alleged assaults at the laundromat.
During the earlier jury trial, Rocha was convicted of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of battery. Jurors also found true the allegation that he caused great bodily injury during the commission of a felony.
The jury, however, was unable to reach verdicts on the remaining charges. Rocha’s guilty plea to second-degree murder now resolves the charge related to Valdez’s death.
By pleading guilty, Rocha also admitted that he used his vehicle as a deadly weapon.
Guilty Plea Brings Case Closer to Sentencing
Senior Deputy District Attorneys Richard Simon and Craig Gardner prosecuted the case for the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Simon said Rocha’s decision to use his vehicle as a weapon had devastating consequences for Valdez, his family and the other young bicyclists who were injured.
“Rocha made the deliberate decision to use his vehicle as a weapon, killing 16-year-old Pedro Valdez and injuring four other young bicyclists,” Simon said. “This conviction holds him accountable and brings a measure of justice to Pedro, his family, and the other victims.”
The guilty plea marks a significant development in a case that has remained unresolved for more than five years since the April 2021 incident.
The prosecution said the circumstances surrounding the case demonstrated the seriousness of Rocha’s actions, including the alleged attacks at the laundromat immediately before the bicyclists were struck and his subsequent flight from the scene.
Rocha is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 27, 2026, at 9 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.
He remains in custody without bail.
Prosecutors said Rocha faces a maximum sentence of 27 years to life in state prison.
The sentencing hearing will determine the penalties imposed by the court following Rocha’s guilty plea and the convictions previously obtained at trial.
The case also underscores the potentially devastating consequences of using a vehicle as a weapon, particularly when pedestrians or bicyclists are targeted. In this case, the conduct resulted in the death of a teenager and injuries to four other young people.
For Valdez’s family and the other victims, the upcoming sentencing represents the final stage of a criminal case that began with the April 19, 2021, attack in Port Hueneme.
