Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Court Hearing Set for Woman Convicted in Fatal Altadena Shooting

Case of Mesha Arshaz Dean to Be Reviewed in Criminal Courts Building

A court hearing is scheduled Tuesday for Mesha Arshaz Dean, a woman convicted of second-degree murder in a fatal shooting in Altadena.

The hearing will take place at 8:30 a.m. in Department 110 of the Criminal Courts Building, located at 210 W. Temple St.

Dean, then 25, was convicted on March 26, 2012, for the fatal shooting of Monroe Miles Jr., 32, during a confrontation in 2007.

According to court documents, Dean and her girlfriend Vanessa Marie Ochoa traveled from Nevada to Altadena on the day of the shooting.

Miles was caring for Ochoa’s 4-year-old son Manaen while the boy’s father was out of town at the time of the incident.

Dean was arrested two days after the shooting, on March 20, 2007, in Las Vegas with Ochoa and the child.

The boy was found unharmed.

In August 2010, Ochoa pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping, and child abuse.

On April 11, 2012, Judge Lance Ito sentenced Dean to 49 years and four months to life in state prison.

During her trial, Dean’s defense attorney Edward Murphy argued that she acted in self-defense, claiming Miles had become violent and physically attacked her.

In May 2014, the California Supreme Court declined to review Dean’s case, marking a final step in the lengthy legal proceedings.

Dean was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder, kidnapping, and child endangerment.

The upcoming hearing represents a continued legal process in a case that has spanned nearly two decades since the original incident.