Rockhill

Filed 11/12/

CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION SEVEN

THE PEOPLE, B335084

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. MA079537) v.

TRAVIS ROCKHILL,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Denise McLaughlin-Bennett and Emily Cole, Judges. Reversed and remanded with directions. Mi Kim, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth C. Byrne and Ana R. Duarte, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

__________________________ Travis Rockhill has twice been tried on a charge of murder. During the first trial, Rockhill made off-the-record, incriminating statements to the courtroom bailiff, who repeated them to the trial judge, Judge Emily Cole. Judge Cole disclosed this information to the parties, but the prosecution decided not to introduce evidence of Rockhill’s incriminating statements. The jury ultimately deadlocked, the…