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Thread: Antolin Garcia-Torres Sentenced to LWOP in 2012 CA Murder of Sierra LaMar

  1. #21
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    Edited:

    Sierra LaMar murder trial to stay in Santa Clara County


    By Jenna Lyons
    SFGate

    A Santa Clara County judge denied a request to move a high-profile murder trial out of the county on Thursday after attorneys for the man accused of abducting and killing missing South Bay teenager Sierra LaMar argued he would not receive a fair trial.

    Judge Vanessa A. Zecher ruled that the trial of Antolin Garcia-Torres would remain in Santa Clara County, rejecting the defense team’s fears that it could not find an impartial jury. Zecher made the decision following expert testimony and oral arguments from the defense that began last week.

    Garcia-Torres’ attorneys have the option to later renew the motion.

    The change-of-venue motion was filed July 1, contending “a high percentage of the population of the county are familiar with the case and have formed opinions about the defendant’s guilt.”

    Fifteen-year-old Sierra was last seen just before leaving her Morgan Hill home for Sobrato High School on March 16, 2012.

    http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/...ra-9185513.php
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #22
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    Sierra LaMar murder: Judge denies defendant’s request

    By Tracey Kaplan
    The Mercury News

    SAN JOSE — In a blow to the man accused of killing missing teenager Sierra LaMar, a judge Tuesday refused his request to hold a separate trial on attempted kidnapping charges he also faces involving three other women.

    Antolin Garcia-Torres, 22, is charged with capital murder in the alleged killing of LaMar near Morgan Hill in 2012, and with trying to kidnap the other women in three separate incidents in 2009.

    Judge Vanessa A. Zecher’s ruling in Santa Clara County Superior Court means all four charges will remain linked in a single trial, rather than split into two separate trials. Garcia-Torres had tried to sever the attempted kidnapping charges on the grounds they would unfairly taint his chances of getting a fair trial on the murder charge.

    LaMar was 15 when she vanished on her way to a school bus stop on March 16, 2012. Her body has not been found. But Garcia-Torres was indicted by a grand jury on the strength of recovered DNA — including her DNA in his car trunk — as well as alleged self-incriminating statements that revealed knowledge about evidence before detectives knew it themselves.

    Earlier this month, defense attorney Al Lopez tried to persuade Zecher that the attempted kidnappings, which occurred in Safeway parking lots in Morgan Hill three years before LaMar vanished in 2012, were actually attempted “purse-snatchings,” which his client did not commit.

    Garcia-Torres’ fingerprint was found on the battery of a stun gun the assailant dropped in one of the attempted kidnapping attacks. But Lopez contended that it got there while his client was shelving batteries at one of the Safeway stores in Morgan Hill where he worked, not because he was involved in the attack.

    Prosecutor David Boyd convinced the judge that all four crimes involved a common scheme or plan, and should be litigated together in one trial.

    “The events deal with the defendant brazenly attacking vulnerable females in very public places,” Boyd wrote in his trial brief. “The evidence in all instances demonstrates the defendant’s desire to stalk and terrorize his victims with an apparent enjoyment of the chase and the fear he placed in them.”

    Boyd declined to comment and Lopez could not immediately be reached.

    In a brief written order that didn’t explain her rationale, Zecher stated, “Although there may be some potential prejudice to the charges remaining joined, the defendant has not made a clear showing of prejudice to support the granting of the motion for severance.”

    Garcia-Torres has pleaded not guilty to all four charges and faces the maximum penalty of death if he is convicted.

    Jury selection is tentatively set to begin next month.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/2...dants-request/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #23
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    Sierra LaMar: Jury selection to begin in Morgan Hill teen’s alleged murder

    By Tracy Kaplan
    The Mercury News

    SAN JOSE — Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the capital-murder trial of a man accused of abducting and killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar near Morgan Hill more than four years ago.

    Antonin Garcia-Torres, 22, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder as well as to unrelated charges that he attempted to kidnap other women.

    Hundreds of prospective jurors next week will be asked to fill out a questionnaire, which still was being drafted Thursday afternoon. The case is then set to reconvene in early November after lawyers for the prosecution and defense review the answers on the questionnaires. Questioning of prospective jurors is scheduled to begin Nov. 14.

    One of the biggest challenges will be finding 12 jurors and up to six alternates willing and able to serve during the whole trial, which could last six months.

    In addition, jury selection may take weeks because this is a death penalty case, and jurors must be open to the possibility of imposing the ultimate punishment.

    LaMar vanished on her way to a school bus stop near Morgan Hill on the morning of March 16, 2012. Her body never has been found. Transcripts from the grand jury that indicted Garcia-Torres indicated prosecutors linked him to LaMar, whom he did not know, through evidence found in his car.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/1...lleged-murder/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #24
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    Sierra LaMar murder trial gets firm January start date

    By Tracy Kaplan
    The Mercury News

    SAN JOSE — More than four years after Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar disappeared on her way to a school bus stop, the Santa Clara County judge handling the capital case set a firm start date for the trial of the man suspected of killing her: Jan. 3.

    Superior Court Judge Vanessa A. Zecher on Tuesday reminded the lawyers in the death-penalty case against Antolin Garcia-Torres, 22, to be ready to give their opening statements after the holidays, on the first Tuesday of 2017.

    The court already has begun evaluating prospective jurors by having them answer a 32-page questionnaire containing 178 questions, so the trial has technically begun. But the start date for the so-called evidence portion of the trial, which starts with opening statements and then the prosecution’s case, was not clear until now.

    The date comes after many delays, which frustrated LaMar’s family and friends, as well as the defendant himself. One reason it didn’t start sooner was Garcia-Torres’ lawyers Brian Matthews and Al Lopez were handling other cases. The trial is expected to last four to six months. Prosecutor David Boyd and co-counsel Dana Veazey long ago signaled they were ready.

    LaMar, 15, vanished on her way to the school bus stop near Morgan Hill on the morning of March 16, 2012. Her body has not been found.

    Hundreds of prospective jurors are being asked this week to fill out the questionnaire. The case is then set to reconvene in early November after lawyers for the prosecution and defense review the answers on the questionnaires. Questioning of prospective jurors is scheduled to begin Nov. 14.

    One of the biggest challenges will be finding 12 jurors and up to six alternates willing and able to serve during the whole trial, which could last six months.

    The lengthy jury questionnaire contains typical inquiries, including whether prospective jurors have ever been victims of crime or know the principals involved in the case, including the judge.

    It also asks whether they belong to a variety of groups, ranging from the National Rifle Association to the American Civil Liberties Union. Because prosecutors allege Garcia-Torres’ DNA was found on her discarded clothing and Sierra’s DNA throughout his car, including on a rope in his trunk, jurors are asked their opinion of DNA evidence.

    Prospective jurors are also queried about whether they have ever been a victim of a sex crime or known someone who was. Prosecutors believe LaMar may have been sexually assaulted. Only the lawyers and judge will review the answers, which will not be made public.

    They are also asked about their feelings about masturbation. Garcia-Torres told authorities that his DNA could have been found on LaMar’s clothing, which was discarded by the side of the road near Morgan Hill, because he had masturbated and threw tissues with his DNA out of his car.

    The questionnaire also probes jurors’ feelings about imposing the death penalty or life without parole.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/1...gin-for-jan-3/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #25
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    Runaway Defense Considered in Sierra LaMar Murder Trial

    Attorneys to submit as evidence a note possibly written by teen that indicates she intended to run away from home

    By Robert Handa and Stephen Ellison
    NBC News Bay Area

    A contentious showdown is brewing in the Sierra LaMar murder trial as defense attorneys for Antolin Garcia-Torres appear to be contemplating a defense that says the Morgan Hill-area teen is still alive and has run away from home.

    On Monday, a hearing is set for attorneys to argue whether a note, possibly written by the missing teenager, will be allowed as evidence. The note indicates Sierra contemplated running away around the time she went missing.

    The runaway theory is something the defense has floated since the grand jury transcripts were released more than two years ago. But on Monday, the court will focus on documents that came out this week in pretrial motions that show why the defense believes it can prove the theory.

    Sierra disappeared after leaving her Morgan Hill-area home for school on March 16, 2012. Garcia-Torres was arrested and charged with murder, even though Sierra's body has never been found. Now, more than four years later, jury selection has started in the murder trial, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.

    Garcia-Torres has pleaded not guilty.

    On Monday, Judge Vanessa Zecher will hear arguments on proposed evidence that experts say is crucial to the defense. According to court documents obtained by NBC Bay Area, the defense wants to introduce a note found in Sierra's notebook that, if authentic, indicates the teenager planned to run away on the date she disappeared.

    Documents say the note, written in Spanish, says, "I hate my life" and "I will be in San Francisco by 3/16/12."

    "The defense is going to point to these statements that she allegedly made, and the friends' statements, that she was ready to run away," legal analyst Steven Clark said.

    The prosecution is ready to dismiss the theory. According to court documents, the District Attorney's Office points out the notebook was taken from Sierra's locker by students and then seized by school officials. The prosecution believes there is no proof the note was written by Sierra, and Sierra's sister says it's not in Sierra's handwriting. Prosecutors call the note an obvious prank.

    "The judge is going to have to decide whether or not this evidence is reliable enough to get to the jury," Clark said.

    Clark added that the runaway theory doesn't explain away DNA evidence or Torres' incriminating statements to police.

    Sierra's parents declined to comment Wednesday. They have said since the runaway theory first emerged two years ago that they do not believe she ran away from home.

    http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local...398783251.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #26
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    Sierra LaMar: Defense seeks to raise father’s molestation record

    By Tracey Kaplan
    The Mercury News

    SAN JOSE — Defense attorneys in the Sierra LaMar capital murder case revealed Monday they are seeking to include the criminal record of the missing teen’s father during the upcoming trial — not to convince jurors that he may have killed her, but to support their theory that she ran away.

    In 2009, Steve LaMar was charged with 10 counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 for allegedly molesting his daughter’s friends during sleepovers at his house. He pleaded no contest to one count, served a year in jail and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

    Detectives have stressed ever since Sierra disappeared on March 16, 2012, that Steve LaMar is not a suspect and has cooperated fully with the investigation. Her body has never been found, but prosecutors insist they have enough evidence, including DNA as well as Sierra’s complete absence from her beloved social media, to seek the death penalty against Antolin Garcia-Torres. Now 22, he is charged with Sierra’s murder and three attempts to kidnap other women.

    Monday, Garcia-Torres’ lead attorney Al Lopez told Superior Court Judge Vanessa A. Zecher that he doesn’t plan to use Steve LaMar’s record to support a “third party culpability” theory — meaning to raise reasonable doubt about his client’s guilt by raising the possibility that her father did it.

    Instead, Lopez told the judge that he has asked a consultant to opine about the effect of her father’s conviction. If the consultant’s opinion supports Lopez’s theory, he will ask the judge to allow the consultant to testify during the trial, which is set to start in early January.

    “It has to do with the area about why teenagers run away,” Lopez told the Santa Clara County judge.

    Last week, new information surfaced in court documents that suggested Garcia-Torres’ lawyers might argue at trial that no trace of the girl has been found in more than four years because she ran away from home to escape her problems, not because she is dead. Monday’s pretrial court hearing appears to confirm they are at least exploring that strategy.

    But in a motion filed Monday, prosecutor David Boyd asked the judge to either exclude Steve LaMar’s record or “sanitize” it by removing any reference to the nature of his conviction. If the judge rejects that request, Boyd wants her to allow the defense to tell the jury only that there was a court order in place that did not permit Sierra to live with her dad.

    “Anything beyond the generic nature of the order would permit the jury to use the information for an improper purpose — which the defense has disavowed — third party culpability,” Boyd wrote. “There is also the great danger of smearing this criminal case and the LaMar family with the stain of her dad’s misdeeds nearly a decade before she went missing for no permissible purpose.”

    However, in his motion, Lopez contended that her father’s conduct was “far worse than the conviction suggests” and therefore may have had a more significant impact on Sierra.

    During sleepovers, her father fondled and molested her friends at night while they slept, Lopez wrote.

    Steve LaMar could not be reached immediately for comment. But shortly after his 15-year-old daughter disappeared on her way to a school bus stop near Morgan Hill, he released a statement acknowledging his record.

    “I understand the stigma associated with this in my background, and I assure everyone it is not connected in any way to my daughter’s disappearance,” he wrote. “Please understand, I am a dad, and I want nothing more than to find my missing daughter.”

    Last week, Garcia-Torres’ lawyers also argued that a young woman named Ashley Gardiner, who lived with Sierra and her mother in Morgan Hill, told detectives that Sierra was planning to leave home and “even showed her (Gardiner) a suitcase that contained her clothes in preparation to run away.’’

    But in Monday’s motion, Boyd dismissed Gardiner’s statement as weak. During her 90-minute interview with law enforcement, 13-year-old Gardiner said Sierra mentioned running away only once, more than eight months before Sierra was “kidnapped.”

    Gardiner also described Sierra as “happy all the time, including the night before she was abducted,” and said that Sierra told her if she did run away, it would be to a friend’s house.

    Boyd also wrote that the suitcase Gardiner described in her statement to police was one used by Sierra to go back and forth to Fremont to visit her sister, friends and father. Neither the suitcase nor any other luggage is missing, he noted. Gardiner also said Sierra would take her phone and pink purse with her if she left.

    Both items were recovered within miles of Sierra’s mother’s house in Morgan Hill. Boyd contended that the pink purse, which was found in a field with Sierra’s other clothing, was marked with Garcia-Torres’ DNA and fibers from his car.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/3...athers-record/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #27
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    Opening Statements to Begin Jan 18 in Antolin Garcia-Torres Murder Trial

    Opening statements in Sierra Lamar missing person murder trial won't happen till Jan 18. Antolin Garcia Torres on trial.

    https://twitter.com/LauraGarciaCann
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #28
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    Sierra LaMar murder trial postponed — again

    By Tracey Kaplan
    The Mercury News

    SAN JOSE — A judge Tuesday postponed the capital murder trial of the man charged with killing missing teen Sierra LaMar by at least 12 days to give defense lawyers more time to analyze new information on the key genetic evidence against him.

    The trial, which was set to start Wednesday, could be delayed even longer than to Jan. 30 if Superior Court Judge Vanessa A. Zecher later this week grants a motion by defense attorneys for Antolin Garcia-Torres to postpone it until Feb. 27.

    Sierra disappeared nearly five years ago on March 16, 2012, on her way to her school bus stop in a rural area north of Morgan Hill.

    Although her body has never been found, prosecutors charged Garcia-Torres, now 25, based on circumstantial evidence, including DNA consistent with his on her clothing, which was found in a field near her bus stop. Also, DNA consistent with hers was found in Garcia-Torres’ Volkswagen Jetta, including in the trunk, and on gloves and a rope in the trunk.

    If Garcia-Torres is convicted of Sierra’s murder, the jury then would decide whether to sentence him to life without parole or death.

    Two different kinds of tests performed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s crime lab had supported the prosecution’s contention that the complex mixed samples contained his DNA. But one of the tests is now inconclusive under the revised protocol.

    Defense attorneys asked Tuesday on the eve of opening statements for more time to analyze the implications of the more than 1,000 pages of new information since they received some of the documents late last week.

    In court documents, the prosecution contends that the new interpretation guidelines don’t change the incriminating results from the strongest of the two tests, the “autosomal” test.

    For instance, using that test, the lab found DNA on one of the gloves in the trunk that was consistent with DNA from three sources — Sierra, Garcia-Torres and the girlfriend who purchased the gloves for him.

    According to the lab, the probability or chances that the sample actually contained a random person’s DNA rather than Sierra’s was 1 in 300 million in the African-American population, 1 in 220 million the white population and 1 in 98 million in the Hispanic population.

    But in the motion for a continuance, defense attorneys wrote that it is incumbent upon them to do their own analysis.

    “The discovery provided by the prosecution has the potential to change the evidence in the case,” the motion states. “Even if the lab determines that the new protocols and procedures do not change their results, the defense may review them and come to a different conclusion.”

    The defense argues it would be highly unfair to proceed before its experts have a chance to conduct their own analysis.

    “Going forward risks the jury being exposed to evidence that might later be excluded,” the motion states, “and denies the defense the opportunity to discuss the new interpretations during opening statements.”

    It is unclear whether the argument will sway the judge, who has appeared at times to share the LaMar family’s exasperation with the many previous delays in bringing the case to trial.

    Sierra’s parents are potential prosecution witnesses in the case and will not be commenting during the trial. But Marc Klaas, a family friend whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was strangled in 1993 after being kidnapped from her mother’s house during a slumber party, said the delays have been difficult.

    “I would hope it starts soon,” Klaas said. “Girding yourself for trial and then it’s delayed again has just got to be gut-wrenching.”

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/1...stponed-again/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  9. #29
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    Judge refuses to further delay Sierra LaMar murder trial

    By Tracey Kaplan
    The Mercury News

    SAN JOSE — A Santa Clara County judge Thursday refused to further delay the capital trial of the man accused killing of missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar.

    “The court is going to stick to the Jan. 30 date,” said Superior Court Judge Vanessa A Zecher during a brief hearing, refusing to delay the trial by an additional four to six weeks.

    The closely watched trial had been set to begin Wednesday with opening statements. But earlier this week at the request of defense attorneys, Zecher had agreed to postpone the trial at least until the end of the month and to consider the longer delay.

    The 12-day postponement until Jan. 30 was meant to give defense lawyers more time to analyze new information about the reliability of key genetic evidence against defendant Antolin Garcia-Torres.

    If Garcia-Torres is convicted of Sierra’s murder, the jury then would decide whether to sentence him to life without parole or death.

    It’s been nearly five years since Sierra disappeared on March 16, 2012, on her way to her school bus stop in a rural area north of Morgan Hill.

    Although her body has never been found, prosecutors charged Garcia-Torres, now 25, based on circumstantial evidence, including DNA consistent with his on her clothing, which was found in a field near her bus stop. Also, DNA consistent with hers was found in Garcia-Torres’ Volkswagen Jetta, including cloth gloves and a rope in the trunk.

    Two different kinds of tests performed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s crime lab had supported the prosecution’s contention that complex mixed samples contained his DNA. But prosecutors recently told Garcia-Torres’ lawyers that one of the tests is now considered inconclusive.

    In court documents, the prosecution has contended that the new interpretation guidelines in which one of the DNA tests is considered inconclusive don’t change the incriminating results from the strongest of the two tests.

    Using that test, the lab found DNA on one of the gloves in the trunk that was consistent with DNA from three sources — Sierra, Garcia-Torres and the girlfriend who purchased the gloves for him.

    But defense attorneys had argued it was incumbent upon them to do their own analysis and asked for more time.

    “The discovery provided by the prosecution has the potential to change the evidence in the case,” the motion states. “Going forward risks the jury being exposed to evidence that might later be excluded and denies the defense the opportunity to discuss the new interpretations during opening statements.”

    Defense attorneys had told Zecher earlier this week that once they got the material from the prosecution, they had to obtain authorization from their office to pay for more research by an expert. The expert also was handling matters for other clients and couldn’t drop instantly everything to tackle their case.

    Zecher ruled Thursday after reviewing a defense motion, most of which was placed under seal by the judge. She indicated 12 days was enough time for the defense to do its own analysis and called it “disheartening” that the defense expert had only put in four hours over five days.

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/1...-murder-trial/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  10. #30
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    Sierra LaMar opening statements to start Jan. 30

    The Morgan Hill Times
    Staff Report

    Opening statements in the trial for Sierra LaMar’s suspected murderer are scheduled to start Monday, Jan. 30 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.

    Antolin Garcia Torres, 25 of Morgan Hill, faces a charge of murder in relation to the disappearance of Sierra, who was 15 when she disappeared from her home the morning of March 16, 2012. Garcia Torres has been in custody at the county jail since his arrest in May 2012.

    He faces a possible death penalty if convicted of murdering Sierra.

    Sierra disappeared from her north Morgan Hill home while she was walking to her school bus stop near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues, according to investigators. She was a sophomore at Sobrato High School at the time of her disappearance.

    Authorities have not found Sierra’s remains, but located some of her belongings—including her cell phone and her handbag containing some of her clothing—in the days after her disappearance was reported. These items were found off the roadsides in neighborhoods near Sierra’s home.

    Investigators have said they found DNA evidence connecting Garcia Torres to Sierra and her disappearance.

    In the same trial, Garcia Torres also faces three charges of attempted kidnapping in relation to three incidents in 2009 in two Morgan Hill Safeway parking lots. These charges are unrelated to the Sierra LaMar case.

    http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/...43e59cff1.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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