Sierra Lamar #2 4/21/12 -

[MuffyBee]

Thank you, melancholygirl.  I sincerely hope Garcia Torres will not escape justice and that he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 

[texasmom]

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/court-clerk-releases-grand-jury-testimony-sierra-l/ngdpF/

The grand jury testimony that led to Antolin Garcia-Torres facing murder charges for the death of disappeared Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar was unsealed early Friday evening and revealed how heavily DNA evidence figured in the indictment.
LaMar, 15, disappeared on March 16, 2012 after leaving for school in Morgan Hill, where her family had recently moved to from Fremont. Her body was never recovered.
22-year-old Garcia-Torres plead not guilty to the kidnapping and murder of LaMar in February of this year.
The testimony was collected on DVDs and given to media outlets that paid the court clerk the over $1,000 fee for access. The testimony includes 1,900 pages of evidence in twelve volumes, one for each day of testimony and all pertaining to the Sierra Lamar Murder Case.
The grand jury indicted Antolin Garcia-Torres on murder charges based on information in the stack of documents released early Friday evening.
One detail that surfaced in the testimony was the discovery of hair on a rope inside the trunk of Antolin Garcia-Torres's car when it was seized on April 7, 2012.
The hair was the first and only bit of physical evidence from LaMar’s person that was found during the investigation where it wouldn’t already be expected such as at her home or on her own clothing.
The transcript also talked in detail about the discovery of his vehicle and Sierra LaMar’s cell phone also about black polyester fibers from the floor mats in Garcia-Torres's car similar to fibers that were found on one of her sweatshirts.
The DNA analysis of the evidence found figured prominently in the case attorneys made against Garcia-Torres.
The documents also show attorneys presenting evidence regarding earlier attempted kidnappings by Garcia-Torres of three women in March of 2009.
Those women also testified during the grand jury, describing their frightening and violent encounters with the suspect.
KTVU is continuing to analyze the documents and will provide more insights on the KTVU 10 o'clock News.

Interesting, thanks for posting!   

Justice for Sierra!   

[texasmom]

 

http://**/crime-courts/ci_26133615/grand-jury-transcript-be-released-case-murder-suspect

Grand jury testimony details DNA evidence, self-incriminating tale with Sierra LaMar kidnap-murder suspect

By Robert Salonga and Eric Kurhi

Mercury News

Posted:   07/11/2014 04:14:27 PM PDT

 

Sierra's DNA was found inside the suspect's car, while his was on her clothing, discarded in a field not far from where she was headed on the foggy morning when she disappeared.

More specifically, testimony from 50 witnesses painted a picture that included the discovery of DNA consistent with Garcia-Torres on LaMar's pants, which first led Santa Clara County Sheriff's detectives to suspect him. A hair from Sierra was found on a rope inside his car trunk, and black polyester fibers from the floor were similar to fibers found on her clothing.

During one of multiple interviews with sex-crimes detectives, Garcia-Torres preemptively tried to explain away the evidence against him. That peculiarity, they testified, continued to the point where Garcia-Torres was giving them new insight into the crime.

When the detectives mentioned they had DNA evidence, Garcia-Torres purportedly told them that on the way to a fishing trip at the Uvas or Chesbro reservoirs, he masturbated and ejaculated into a tissue and threw it out the window, which he claimed was a regular practice. But the detectives had not yet specified that the trace DNA they found was from semen.

"When you answer questions you were not asked, that is a telltale marker of a guilty conscience," said Steven Clark, a criminal-defense attorney, legal analyst and former Santa Clara County prosecutor.

Deputy District Attorney David Boyd also pointed out detectives' testimony that Garcia-Torres, again unsolicited, laid out an unusual route toward the reservoirs that took him to Palm Avenue near where Sierra disappeared, even though it's in the opposite direction, and claimed to have had no interaction with the teen.

It was a clinching moment for investigators: Garcia-Torres contending that he never crossed paths with Sierra but still going out of his way to explain how their DNA ended up on each other's person or property.

"The defense now will have to do two things: create doubt based on other possible scenarios of DNA transfer and also fix that big lie which is, 'I never met Sierra LaMar,'" Clark said. "There's a lot of lawyering left to do, but the defense has its work cut out for it."

Other elements of the case that had not been made public until Friday was the finding that Garcia-Torres had purchased bleach and a turkey baster three days before Sierra vanished.

"He purchased two items. One of which can destroy DNA, and the other can be used as an applicator," Boyd said to the grand jury, according to the transcript.

That prompted testimony from Garcia-Torres' wife refuting that implication by claiming he would not have purchased those items without her consent. Also according to the grand jury transcript, she provided an alibi for Garcia-Torres that ultimately did not withstand scrutiny.

Authorities also testified that the condition of Sierra's recovered clothing suggested foul play.

"That sweatshirt, when it's recovered has dirt stains on it, and where are those dirt stains? They are on the inside of that sweatshirt, when you lift it up. And there's also dirt stains on the back of her jeans," Boyd said during the proceedings. "Now how does that happen? And I want you to envision this in your mind. Sierra's rear-end and back are on the ground and someone's got her feet by their hands and they are dragging her."

He also said that based on video evidence from a trailer park and a bank, Garcia-Torres had about six hours to commit the crime.

"That's a lot of time to hide a body in whatever way needs to be hidden," Boyd said.

The sheer volume of detail is vital to the prosecution's case, Clark said, given that Sierra still has not been found.

"What the DA's saying is we don't have the body of Sierra LaMar, but we have the footprint and the trail," Clark said. "They have a lot of forensic evidence that pieces together to show a very sinister demise."

 

[texasmom]

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/crime-law/court-clerk-releases-grand-jury-testimony-sierra-l/ngdpF/

Posted: 6:17 p.m. Friday, July 11, 2014

Grand Jury transcript reveals DNA a key link in Sierra LaMar murder case


 

One section of the testimony includes prosecutors stating, "It was Sierra's hair on a rope inside Antolin Garcia-Torres's trunk when it was seized on April 7th of 2012. Now, this was the first time they had found any piece -- and the only time they found any piece of Sierra's body other than where you might expect to find it, her home, her own clothing, things of that nature."

"I was aware, knew there was DNA... I didn't know those details," Steven Lamar said.

The transcript also talked in detail about the discovery of his vehicle and Sierra LaMar’s cell phone also about black polyester fibers from the floor mats in Garcia-Torres's car similar to fibers that were found on one of her sweatshirts.

The DNA analysis of the evidence found figured prominently in the case attorneys made against Garcia-Torres.

The documents also show attorneys presenting evidence regarding earlier attempted kidnappings by Garcia-Torres of three women in March of 2009.

Those women also testified during the grand jury, describing their frightening and violent encounters with the suspect.

One victim described the assault, "He continued to taze me, and the more I would struggle, the tighter his hold would get."

Sierra's father told KTVU Friday night that prosecutors had explained the general points of the transcript, but he himself had not read it in its entirety.

"I think it's one step in our process for getting justice for Sierra and our family," Lamar told KTVU.

 

[texasmom]

Justice for Sierra! 

 

[grace-land]

http://**/crime-courts/ci_26139071/sierra-lamar-transcript-offers-look-at-prosecutions-case

Sierra Lamar evidence: Rope with her hair may be key in case
Posted:   07/12/2014 06:31:16 PM PDT  Updated:   about 11 hours ago

 
Steven Clark, a criminal defense attorney and former Santa Clara County prosecutor, said the rope is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence wielded by the District Attorney's Office.

"It's very problematic for the defense, especially with it also being in the trunk," he said. "The rope conjures up certain imagery of her being tied up (and) perhaps being used as a weapon."

Attorneys for Garcia-Torres did not return phone calls on Saturday.

The grand jury testimony also revealed that the prosecution's case is heavy with DNA evidence of the "trace" or "touch" variety -- bits of genetic material of unknown specific biological origin such as blood or saliva.

Bicka Barlow, a San Francisco lawyer who specializes in DNA evidence, said that kind of DNA is often used to place someone at a scene. Modern technology can detect much smaller amounts of DNA than in the past, she said.

But Barlow said it can be problematic and pointed to a recently exonerated suspect in the high-profile homicide of a Monte Sereno millionaire after it was discovered his DNA was transferred to the victim via a medical sensor that paramedics used on both the victim and the accused, who was never at the scene.

In the Garcia-Torres case, traces of his DNA were found on Sierra's discarded jeans, which led investigators to him in the first place. And a subsequent, exhaustive search of his car bolstered that connection when samples taken from an armrest, gloves and the rope revealed DNA profiles that included one matching Sierra.

"There are a lot of things in the world that people touch where they could leave DNA without realizing it," Barlow said.

However, given the details of the Garcia-Torres case, Barlow said it's difficult to see a casual connection in this situation.

Some kind of explanation for the DNA is exactly what the defense will need to come up with, said Michael Cardoza, a Walnut Creek-based criminal defense attorney with experience in DNA cases.

"Why is it there?" he asked. "What is the innocent explanation for that? With circumstantial evidence, if there are two reasonable conclusions pointing equally at guilt and innocence, you have to go with innocent. But you do need a reasonable explanation."

Testimony showed that deputy district attorney David Boyd made a case to jurors that Garcia-Torres had a chance to do just that when he was first contacted by investigators on April 4, 2012, after they found the match.

But the suspect told them that he'd never met nor seen Sierra until she became a regular face on television newscasts following her disappearance.

"They didn't go to school together," Boyd said. "They didn't go to the same gym together. They didn't have friends in common. They didn't run in the same areas."

For Garcia-Torres, Cardoza said, that was "sinking his own ship."

"As defense attorneys, we tell you: Don't talk about anything; you never know what you are going to give up to police," Cardoza said. "And that's a classic example."
 

[Sister]

 

[grace-land]

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/sports/pro/nhl-sharks-couture-hosting-fundraiser-for-sierra-lamar-search/article_6dba0878-39fb-11e4-98ed-001a4bcf6878.html

NHL: Sharks' Couture hosting fundraiser for Sierra LaMar search
Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2014 2:34 pm

MORGAN HILL—San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture wants to help bring Sierra LaMar home.
 
Couture has followed the case since the Morgan Hill teenager disappeared in March, 2012 and has organized an autograph signing to help raise funds for the ongoing search. He, along with teammates Tomas Hertl, Alex Stalock, Jason Demers, James Sheppard and Andrew Desjardins, will sign autographs from 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at Britton Middle School, 80 West Central Ave. in Morgan Hill.
 
“We just don’t want it, her story, to be forgotten,” Couture told the Dispatch. “We want to do whatever we can as an organization to help bring her home.”
 

[grace-land]

http://www.scscourt.org/general_info/news_media/garcia-torres.shtml

Case Information:

Case Number: C1233134
 Case Title: People vs. Antolin Garcia-Torres
 Filing Date: May 24, 2012

Upcoming Court Dates at the Hall of Justice:
•November 12, 2014 , 1:30 p.m., Department 24

High Profile Case Documents:

Click on the document description in the table below to view the document.

Date Filed Document
9/10/14 Minute Order 
 

[grace-land]

Postponed again...   The searches for Sierra continue every Saturday; hopefully she is found soon.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Sierra-LaMar-Case-Grand-Jury-Report-Highlights-DNA-Evidence-282493141.html

Case Against Sierra LaMar Murder Suspect Postponed Again
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2014 • Updated at 4:09 PM PST

They are still waiting for justice.

The family of Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar, who was kidnapped and killed two years ago, was back in court Wednesday.

A judge again postponed the case against Antolin Garcia-Torres, the only suspect in the case. He is due back in court Feb. 25.
 

[Sister]

Postponed again...   The searches for Sierra continue every Saturday; hopefully she is found soon.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Sierra-LaMar-Case-Grand-Jury-Report-Highlights-DNA-Evidence-282493141.html

Case Against Sierra LaMar Murder Suspect Postponed Again
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2014 • Updated at 4:09 PM PST

They are still waiting for justice.

The family of Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar, who was kidnapped and killed two years ago, was back in court Wednesday.

A judge again postponed the case against Antolin Garcia-Torres, the only suspect in the case. He is due back in court Feb. 25.
 

postponed     

[Bearlyhere]

     

[grace-land]

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Murder-Trial-for-Suspect-in-Sierra-LaMar-Murder-Case-Delayed-294116911.html

Murder Trial for Suspect in Sierra LaMar Murder Case Delayed
Published 3 hours ago

The suspect in the Sierra LaMar murder case returned to court on Wednesday, almost three years after the Morgan Hill teenager disappeared on her way to school.

The lawyer for Antolin Garcia Torres told the judge he needed at least another six weeks to prepare for the murder trial. The district attorney is seeking the death penalty in the case.

•5 Middle School Students Ingested Pills: District

Judge Deborah Ryan granted the request from Torres' attorney, which frustrated many volunteers who have helped search for Sierra LaMar.
 
Torres is scheduled to return to court April 8 for another trial-setting date.

[Sister]

Sometimes I really don't understand these delays.

 

[Red]

Search for Sierra LaMar to end after nearly 3 years

http://abc7news.com/news/search-for-sierra-lamar-to-end-after-nearly-3-years-/541360/

The regularly scheduled searches for Sierra LaMar are coming to an end. Police believe the Morgan Hill teenager was kidnapped and murdered in March 2012.

It's been almost three years since 15-year-old LaMar disappeared on her way to school, and to this day, volunteers have been meeting every week trying to find her.

Her father Steve LaMar said Monday it's time to stop, saying they've simply run out of viable search areas.

"No one's giving up, that's for sure," Steve LaMar said. "That's not part of this message. It's just a different way of doing it now."

Sierra's father says he made the decision with the rest of the family, volunteers and experts. Searches will only take place when new tips and information come in.

The Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center has been the latest spot where the volunteers have been meeting every Saturday. It's a dedicated group, about two dozen people show up every week, rain or shine.

 

[MuffyBee]

Search for Sierra LaMar to end after nearly 3 years

http://abc7news.com/news/search-for-sierra-lamar-to-end-after-nearly-3-years-/541360/

The regularly scheduled searches for Sierra LaMar are coming to an end. Police believe the Morgan Hill teenager was kidnapped and murdered in March 2012.

It's been almost three years since 15-year-old LaMar disappeared on her way to school, and to this day, volunteers have been meeting every week trying to find her.

Her father Steve LaMar said Monday it's time to stop, saying they've simply run out of viable search areas.

"No one's giving up, that's for sure," Steve LaMar said. "That's not part of this message. It's just a different way of doing it now."

Sierra's father says he made the decision with the rest of the family, volunteers and experts. Searches will only take place when new tips and information come in.

The Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center has been the latest spot where the volunteers have been meeting every Saturday. It's a dedicated group, about two dozen people show up every week, rain or shine.

 

 

It's very, very sad Sierra hasn't been found despite the work and diligence by the volunteers.  What is needed is for Antolin Garcia-Torres to grow a conscience and tell where he put her.  Although this may not ever happen, I hope somehow there will be a tip or some clue found that can help. 
I've seen cases where there are plea bargains in regard to recovery of remains, but then I've seen cases where the family refuses to do that, as they don't want to make deals with the devil.  I think it's something the family would have to think about and decide.  Garcia-Torres might not even take an offer like that if it was put to him.  I continue to hope Sierra will be found. 

[texasmom]

http://**/bay-area-news/ci_27692034/volunteers-prepare-final-organized-search-missing-teen-sierra

Volunteers prepare for the final, organized search for missing teen Sierra LaMar
By Mark Emmonsmemmons@mercurynews.com
POSTED:   03/11/2015 02:20:26 PM PDT0 COMMENTS| UPDATED:   ABOUT 6 HOURS AGO

 

Searchers have been frustrated over the slow pace of the legal case. They also are concerned that if Garcia Torres ultimately is convicted, he might try to use the location of the body to negotiate a sentence that takes the death penalty off the table.

"If all of this is true, and Sierra is deceased and he did it, our group really wants to remove that bargaining chip," Rankin said. "That's a big part of our driving factor in the search. We've been helping the family, but we also have intolerance for evil."

 

 

[Sister]

I am grateful I have never been in this situation.

Whatever the family may decide, it should be viewed as the correct decision.

The volunteers are certainly a dedicated group.

 

[Bearlyhere]

I am grateful I have never been in this situation.

Whatever the family may decide, it should be viewed as the correct decision.

The volunteers are certainly a dedicated group.

 

 

[texasmom]

http://www.ksbw.com/news/landscaping-crew-finds-body-in-morgan-hill/32867316

Landscaping crew finds body in Morgan Hill
UPDATED 1:11 PM PDT May 07, 2015

MORGAN HILL, Calif. —A landscaping crew working in the area of Cochrane Circle in Morgan Hill discovered a body Thursday morning and called 911.

Morgan Hill police officers and Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office investigators are at the scene.

Police Sgt. Ray Ramos said the human remains had been there for "quite a while." Ramos added that the body was found under thick shrubs and brush, and it was not buried.

A coroner had not yet arrived as of 12:20 p.m. Many wondered Thursday morning if the body of Sierra LaMar had finally been found.

Special operations police Sgt. Carson Thomas said a preliminary investigation indicates that the person was likely a middle-aged white man.

The body was discovered three blocks from where Sierra went to school, Ann Sobrato High School.