Monday, October 20, 2025

Altadena Woman Convicted in 2007 Fatal Shooting Returns to Court Monday for Possible Resentencing

Dean seeks relief under California’s revised murder laws; hearing set in downtown Los Angeles

A hearing is scheduled Monday morning in downtown Los Angeles for Mesha Arshaz Dean, the woman convicted of fatally shooting Monroe “Monty” Miles Jr. on an Altadena street in 2007 during a confrontation over his 4-year-old nephew.

Dean, now approximately 43, is set to appear at 8:30 a.m. in Department 110 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, located at 210 W. Temple St. The proceeding will be presided over by Judge Lisa B. Lench, who chairs the Commission on Judicial Performance and has served on the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2001.

Dean was sentenced in 2012 to 49 years and four months to life in prison after a jury convicted her of second-degree murder, kidnapping and child endangerment. The shooting occurred on March 18, 2007, at 4023 Canyon Dell Drive in Altadena, where Miles, 32, was caring for his nephew while the child’s father was out of town. Dean and her partner, Vanessa Marie Ochoa, had driven from Henderson, Nevada, to retrieve the boy.

According to trial testimony, Dean brought a loaded firearm with the safety off and a round chambered. Prosecutors argued she acted with intent, while her defense attorney claimed she fired in self-defense after Miles allegedly attacked her during the confrontation. The defense also suggested the Miles family disapproved of Dean and Ochoa’s homosexual relationship and that religious objections may have motivated Miles’s behavior. The jury acquitted Dean of first-degree murder but found her guilty of second-degree murder after 2.5 days of deliberation. Judge Lance A. Ito, who presided over the trial, sentenced her on April 11, 2012.

Ochoa later pleaded guilty in August 2010 to voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping and child endangerment. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April 2012.

Dean’s appeal was rejected by the 2nd District Court of Appeal in February 2014, and the California Supreme Court declined to review the case in May 2014.

Monday’s hearing is part of a post-conviction process under California Penal Code Section 1172.6, formerly 1170.95, which allows individuals convicted of murder under now-invalid legal theories to petition for resentencing. The statute stems from Senate Bill 1437 (2018) and its expansion under SB 775 (2021), which eliminated the “natural and probable consequences” doctrine and narrowed the felony murder rule.

Dean’s conviction preceded these reforms and involved a shooting during a felony kidnapping. Her legal team is likely arguing that, under current law, she could not have been convicted of murder unless she was the actual killer, acted with intent to kill, or was a major participant who acted with reckless indifference to human life.

The 1172.6 petition process involves three stages: a prima facie review to determine basic eligibility, an order to show cause if the court finds a valid claim, and an evidentiary hearing where the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the petitioner remains guilty under current law. The burden of proof shifts to the prosecution at the evidentiary stage, and both sides may present new or previously admitted evidence.

Public records show Dean has appeared in court multiple times this year, including hearings on March 17 and in July 2025, consistent with the multi-stage 1172.6 process. Monday’s hearing may be a status conference, an evidentiary hearing, or a ruling following prior proceedings. If the court finds Dean’s conviction relied on invalid legal theories, her murder conviction could be vacated and her sentence reduced. If the prosecution proves she remains guilty under current standards, the petition could be denied.

Dean’s case is part of a broader wave of resentencing efforts in California, which have affected approximately 12,000 individuals since 2012. About 9,500 people have been released under these reforms, with research showing low recidivism rates among long-serving inmates.

Miles died at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena about an hour after the shooting. Dean and Ochoa were arrested two days later in Las Vegas. An Amber Alert had been issued for the child, who was found unharmed and placed in protective custody.