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Author Topic: Sierra Lamar #2 4/21/12 -  (Read 391029 times)
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grace-land
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« Reply #640 on: February 22, 2017, 08:21:14 PM »

http://**/2017/02/22/sierra-lamar-missing-girl-accused-killer-linked-by-friends/

Sierra LaMar: Missing girl, accused killer, linked by friends? 
PUBLISHED: February 22, 2017 at 11:42 am | UPDATED: February 22, 2017 at 3:43 pm

SAN JOSE — Testimony by one of the lead investigators in the capital murder trial of the man accused of killing missing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar revealed for the first time Wednesday that the two might be linked by friends, a revelation that could undermine the prosecution’s DNA-based case.

The prosecution’s case against Antolin Garcia-Torres relies largely on genetic evidence: finding DNA consistent with his on Sierra’s abandoned pants, and DNA consistent with hers in his car, including on a hair on a rope in the trunk. Garcia-Torres told police he’s never met Sierra.

But under questioning by Garcia-Torres’ lawyer, Al Lopez, on Wednesday, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Sgt. Herman Leon acknowledged he has interviewed at least one person who indicated that Sierra and Garcia-Torres had mutual acquaintances.

On further questioning in Santa Clara County Superior Court by prosecutor David Boyd, Leon said he has no evidence Sierra’s friends were also friends with Garcia-Torres. She was 15 when she disappeared and he was 21. But Leon explained that a friend of Sierra’s had a sister who said she knew another person who was friends with Garcia-Torres.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on February 22
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #641 on: February 27, 2017, 09:57:31 PM »

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Sierra-LaMar-Murder-Trial-Both-Sides-Focus-on-Hair-Found-in-Defendants-Car-414920523.html

Sierra LaMar Murder Trial: Both Sides Focus on Hair Found in Defendant's Car
Published 2 hours ago

A battle of experts took place Monday in the Sierra LaMar murder trial as both sides focused on a strand of hair found in the defendant's car.

The prosecution had its crime lab analyst testify about the hair that was found on a rope inside Antolin Garcia Torres' car, and the defense countered with questions about whether the critical piece of evidence was compromised.
 
The Santa Clara County crime lab analyst that took the stand Monday testified that the hair found on a rope recovered from the back of Garcia Torres' car contained Sierra's DNA. It's critical to the prosecution's case because Garcia Torres insists he never met Sierra, and his defense attorneys say the girl is a runaway and still alive. "If the defense can show that the evidence was cross contaminated, that would be a severe problem for the prosecution," legal analyst Steven Clark said.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on February 27
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #642 on: February 28, 2017, 07:51:48 PM »

http://**/2017/02/28/sierra-lamar-trial-takes-a-break-for-sick-juror-during-key-evidence-testimony/

Sierra LaMar: Trial takes a break for sick juror during key evidence testimony 
PUBLISHED: February 28, 2017 at 11:29 am | UPDATED: February 28, 2017 at 1:10 pm

SAN JOSE — As witnesses described handling key evidence Tuesday in the capital murder trial of the man accused of killing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, a juror’s illness prompted the judge to suspend the afternoon’s testimony.

Judge Vanessa Zecher canceled the afternoon trial session after a juror sent a note complaining of influenza symptoms.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on February 28
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #643 on: March 02, 2017, 08:26:17 PM »

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Defense-tries-to-cast-doubt-on-DNA-in-Sierra-10973477.php

Defense tries to cast doubt on DNA in Sierra LaMar murder case
Published 5:42 pm, Thursday, March 2, 2017

Attorneys for a man on trial in the kidnapping and slaying of South Bay teenager Sierra LaMar tried to poke holes in the prosecution’s case Thursday by raising the possibility that DNA from a person unconnected to a murder can show up at a crime scene.

While cross-examining Santa Clara County criminologist Michele Bell, an attorney for defendant Antolin Garcia-Torres, 25, asked about a local murder in which an innocent man’s DNA was found on the victim.
  
But when defense attorney Bicka Barlow started to asked Bell about the old murder case, prosecutor David Boyd quickly requested a sidebar with the judge, who later instructed the Santa Clara County jury to disregard Barlow’s line of questioning.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 1 and March 2
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #644 on: March 07, 2017, 11:30:06 PM »

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 7

https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport

 
tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport  · 12h  12 hours ago 
#SierraLaMar trial resumes, week 6, Tues., 3/7/17. Criminalist Bell back on stand.
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texasmom
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ARUBA: It's all about Natalee...we won't give up!


« Reply #645 on: March 09, 2017, 09:25:45 PM »

http://**/2017/03/09/sierra-lamar/

Sierra LaMar: Safeway manager testifies about bleach, stun gun battery
Safeway manager testified that accused man bought bleach at a Morgan Hill store

TRACEY KAPLAN | tkaplan@bayareanewsgroup.com |

PUBLISHED: March 9, 2017 at 5:45 pm | UPDATED: March 9, 2017 at 6:56 pm

SAN JOSE — A Safeway manager testified Thursday that the man accused of killing missing teen Sierra LaMar bought bleach twice at a Morgan Hill store, undermining the prosecution’s contention that the suspect made only one purchase shortly before she vanished to erase his DNA from her body in case it was ever found.

But the asset protection manager, Jeffrey Scales, also gave testimony that undercut Antolin Garcia-Torres’ explanation for how his fingerprint got on a stun gun battery used during an attempted kidnapping of a woman prior to Sierra’s disappearance.

 

At several points since the capital trial began six weeks ago, prosecutor David Boyd has focused on the fact that Garcia-Torres, who once worked at the Tennant Station Safeway, bought a jug of bleach and a turkey baster three days before Sierra vanished.

Garcia-Torres’ former live-in girlfriend, for instance, testified under questioning by Boyd that Garcia-Torres never did the laundry, casting more suspicion on the purchase. Defense lawyer Al Lopez, on the other hand, contended Garcia-Torres used the turkey baster to extract THC from marijuana and the bleach to do laundry.

Scales gave testimony Thursday that supported Lopez’s explanation, citing Safeway records. Garcia-Torres also bought a jug of bleach and a smaller bottle of lavender-scented bleach on Jan. 19, 2012, about two months earlier, he said.

As for the fingerprint on the stun gun battery, Lopez told the jury during opening statements that Garcia-Torres had nothing to do with the 2009 parking lot attacks. The fingerprint was discovered on the battery after the assailant dropped the stun gun.

Lopez said Garcia-Torres’ print got there because he frequently re-shelved items with torn packaging, including 9-volt batteries. Garcia-Torres worked at Safeway as a “courtesy clerk,”  workers who — among other duties — bag items for shoppers.

But Scales testified that Safeway didn’t re-shelve open packages until July of 2012. Instead, the chain sent such “damaged” products back to the manufacturer or discarded them. About four months after Sierra disappeared, the chain began to re-sell open packages of batteries at a 50 percent discount, he said.

Lopez pointed out that Scales wasn’t transferred to the Northern California branch of the chain until July, so he may not have been familiar with the store’s actual practice.

But Scales said he had a clear memory of the change, saying it was significant enough for the chain to broadcast it via a Power Point presentation at every store.

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I stand with the girl, Natalee Holloway.

"I can look back over the past 10 years and there were no steps wasted, and there are no regrets,'' she said. "I did all I knew to do and I think that gives me greater peace now." "I've lived every parent's worst nightmare and I'm the parent that nobody wants to be," she said.

Beth Holloway, 2015 interview with Greta van Susteren
grace-land
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« Reply #646 on: March 14, 2017, 10:28:04 PM »

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Sierra-LaMar-Trial-Alleged-Attempted-Kidnapping-Victim-Testifies-416175613.html

Sierra LaMar Murder Trial: Alleged Attempted Kidnapping Victim Testifies
Published 4 hours ago | Updated 2 hours ago

Thursday will mark the five-year anniversary of Sierra LaMar's disappearance.
 
Meanwhile, the trial of her suspected killer, Antolin Garcia Torres, continued Tuesday.

In addition to being charged with murdering Sierra, Garcia Torres is accused of attempting to kidnap three women. One of those women took the stand Tuesday.

The alleged victim in her testimony said a man jumped in the back seat of her SUV, used a stun gun to shock her and punched her. The attack was reported in the parking lot of a Safeway store in Morgan Hill in 2009.

A fingerprint of Garcia Torres was later found on the stun gun battery.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 14
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #647 on: March 16, 2017, 09:44:04 PM »

 an angelic monkey
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Family-of-Sierra-LaMar-marks-the-5th-year-of-her-11007895.php

Family of Sierra LaMar marks the 5th year of her disappearance
By Jenna Lyons
Updated 4:34 pm, Thursday, March 16, 2017

It went unspoken in court, but it seemed everyone in attendance knew Thursday marked a special day in the Sierra LaMar trial: Exactly five years to the day, the 15-year-old was reported missing from her Morgan Hill home and never seen again.

The murder trial in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose continued for Antolin Garcia-Torres, a 25-year-old Morgan Hill man suspected of kidnapping and killing the teen. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
 
Garcia-Torres is also being tried on charges that he attempted to kidnap and carjack three women outside Morgan Hill Safeway stores in 2009, one of them outside a location where he had worked. The court did not hear additional evidence in Sierra’s disappearance Thursday morning as fingerprint experts testified on evidence collected from the 2009 Safeway attacks.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 16
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #648 on: March 16, 2017, 09:48:20 PM »

 an angelic monkey
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport

tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport  · 7h  7 hours ago 
Sad milestone in #SierraLaMar: Family, friends gather tonight to mark 5th anniversary of her disappearance https://wp.me/p7ShJJ-iJ2G

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grace-land
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« Reply #649 on: March 27, 2017, 10:25:06 PM »

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Defense-Takes-Turn-in-Sierra-LaMar-Murder-Trial-417246573.html

Defense Takes Turn in Sierra LaMar Murder Trial
Published 3 hours ago

Monday marked a change in gears in the Sierra LaMar murder trial with the defense taking over.

Most of the testimony came from defense investigator David Jaquez, who testified that he looked at surveillance video from VTA buses in the area at the time of Sierra's disappearance.

VideoKidnapping Victim Testifies in Sierra LaMar Murder Trial

None of the video Jacquez reviewed showed the red Jetta the suspect was allegedly driving that day.

It appears the defense is trying to plant the seed that maybe the suspect, Antolin Garcia Torres, was not driving the red Jetta on the day Sierra disappeared.

But the prosecutor attempted to show Jaquez's data collection was not completely accurate.

"The defense was picking points that applied to them, but when David Boyd spoke and cross examined them, they were just off on the time," said Emme Spencer, a search volunteer
 
Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 27
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport

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grace-land
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« Reply #650 on: March 28, 2017, 09:39:10 PM »

http://**/2017/03/28/sierra-lamar-defense-witness-probes-reactivation-of-missing-girls-cell-phone/

Sierra LaMar: Defense witness probes reactivation of missing girl’s cell phone
By Tracey Kaplan | tkaplan@bayareanewsgroup.com |
PUBLISHED: March 28, 2017 at 12:08 pm | UPDATED: March 28, 2017 at 5:19 pm

SAN JOSE — An expert witness for the man accused of killing missing teen Sierra LaMar raised questions Tuesday about why the cell phone of the 15-year-old activated more than 12 hours after she disappeared, suggesting someone else could have abducted her or that she turned it on herself.
 

A link to the article above at the following tweet--

https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport · 1h  1 hour ago 
Final version of #SierraLaMar story - Why did her phone re-activate 15+ hours after she vanished? Debated in court  https://wp.me/p7ShJJ-iQkC

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 28
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #651 on: March 30, 2017, 10:59:27 PM »

http://kron4.com/2017/03/30/antolin-garcia-torres-best-friend-testifies-in-sierra-lamar-murder-trial/

Antolin Garcia-Torres’ best friend testifies in Sierra LaMar murder trial
Published: March 30, 2017, 9:32 am

SANTA CLARA COUNTY (BCN) — A San Martin man who described himself as murder defendant Antolin Garcia-Torres’ best friend testified in his death penalty case Wednesday morning.
 
Daniel Fernandez, 26, met Garcia-Torres in kindergarten and the two have remained close since, he said.

Fernandez testified that he and his cousin went on a snowboarding trip at China Peak Mountain Resort with Garcia-Torres and his then-girlfriend Francine Sarmiento the weekend after Sierra disappeared.

Defense attorney Al Lopez questioned Fernandez about his and Garcia-Torres’ use of marijuana, including concentrated hash oil, which Fernandez said he and Garcia-Torres had made themselves with instruction from online videos.

Safeway Club Card records show that Garcia-Torres made a two-item purchase of a turkey baster and a jug of bleach shortly before Sierra disappeared, which prosecutors have pointed to as tools to break up DNA evidence of sexual assault.

Lopez has argued that Garcia-Torres bought the baster to manufacture hash oil.
 

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on March 30
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport

Also--
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport · 9h  9 hours ago 

Schedule: court dark on Fridays & also in afternoon on April 3 & 4. Dark on morning of April 11. #SierraLaMar
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grace-land
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« Reply #652 on: April 05, 2017, 11:00:21 PM »

http://**/2017/04/05/sierra-lamar-trial-defense-suggest-she-ran-away-because-she-was-attracted-to-women/

Sierra LaMar trial: Defense suggests teen ran away because she was attracted to girls, afraid to tell Christian mom
PUBLISHED: April 5, 2017 at 2:01 pm | UPDATED: April 5, 2017 at 7:37 pm

SAN JOSE — New details surfaced publicly Wednesday in the trial of the man accused of killing Sierra LaMar that defense lawyers portrayed as more proof she ran away — the teenager was sexually interested in “girls” and worried about her religious mother’s reaction.
 

A link to the article above at the following tweet--

https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport · 6h 6 hours ago 
Defense in #SierraLaMar trial suggests teen ran away b/c attracted to women, afraid to tell Christian momhttps://wp.me/p7ShJJ-iUpx

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on April 5
https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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texasmom
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ARUBA: It's all about Natalee...we won't give up!


« Reply #653 on: April 06, 2017, 07:06:47 AM »

That's ridiculous, imo. 

Justice for Sierra!   
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I stand with the girl, Natalee Holloway.

"I can look back over the past 10 years and there were no steps wasted, and there are no regrets,'' she said. "I did all I knew to do and I think that gives me greater peace now." "I've lived every parent's worst nightmare and I'm the parent that nobody wants to be," she said.

Beth Holloway, 2015 interview with Greta van Susteren
grace-land
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« Reply #654 on: April 06, 2017, 11:31:42 PM »

That's ridiculous, imo. 

Justice for Sierra!   

Agree.   
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grace-land
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« Reply #655 on: April 11, 2017, 11:33:03 PM »

http://kron4.com/2017/04/11/sierra-lamars-former-teacher-says-she-visited-his-class-before-disappearance/

Sierra LaMar’s former teacher says she visited his class before disappearance
Published: April 11, 2017, 10:50 am  |  Updated: April 11, 2017, 3:30 pm

SANTA CLARA COUNTY (BCN) — Defense attorneys for the man accused of the murdering 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl called two witnesses to the stand in a San Jose courtroom this morning, questioning them about their contacts with Sierra LaMar and Antolin Garcia-Torres in the weeks leading up to the girl’s disappearance.
 
Marcelo Palmieri, who teaches Spanish at Washington High School in Fremont, testified that he had taught Sierra in September and October 2011, before she moved to Morgan Hill and transferred schools.

Defense attorney Al Lopez focused his questioning on Palmieri’s claim to law enforcement on March 21, 2012 that Sierra had visited his class “a few weeks” prior.

Sierra stopped by to visit a friend for about five minutes between class periods either before or after lunch, Palmieri said.

Palmieri named three girls who she could have been visiting but was unable to remember which one it was.

But, he said, “I am 100 percent sure that it was Sierra Lamar in front of my eyes,” Palmieri said.

Prosecutor David Boyd suggested that by “a few” Palmieri had meant three or four, which would place Sierra’s visit during her new school’s ski week, between Feb. 20 and Feb. 24, 2012.
 
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grace-land
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« Reply #656 on: April 12, 2017, 10:36:12 PM »

Court coverage...tweets during the trial on April 12, 2017

https://twitter.com/tkaplanreport
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grace-land
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« Reply #657 on: April 18, 2017, 11:21:07 PM »

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Suspect-Antolin-Garcia-Torres-Will-Not-Testify-in-Sierra-LaMar-Murder-Trial-Lawyer-419761353.html

Suspect Antolin Garcia Torres Will Not Testify in Sierra LaMar Murder Trial: Lawyer
Published at 2:09 PM PDT on Apr 18, 2017

There was a sense of anticipation in Santa Clara County Superior Court Tuesday morning at the trial of Antolin Garcia Torres, who is accused of murdering Sierra LaMar.

With closing arguments looming as early as next week, judge Vanessa A. Zecher asked Torres if he intended to take the stand.

With the alleged victim's father and other supporters looking on, Torres and his attorney Brian Matthews quietly talked before Torres declined to take the stand.

During a break, Matthews told me that Torres will not testify "at all" during the remaining proceedings.
 
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grace-land
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« Reply #658 on: May 03, 2017, 09:44:56 PM »

http://abc7news.com/news/closing-arguments-begin-in-sierra-lamar-murder-trial/1943960/

Closing arguments begin in Sierra LaMar murder trial
Tuesday, May 02, 2017 06:37PM

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- This is the last chance for the prosecutor and the defense attorneys to convince the jury of Antolin Garcia-Torres' innocence or guilt in the murder trial of Sierra LaMar, the Morgan Hill teenager who has been missing for five years.

The charge is based on circumstantial evidence because LaMar's body has never been found, though DNA evidence found on LaMar's jeans has a high statistical probability of linking Garcia-Torres. The defense disputed that claim.

LaMar's father has maintained a daily presence in court. Her mother took the witness stand early in the trial. In court, they sat just a few feet from the man accused of killing their daughter, separated by a railing.

"Obviously this jury has seen Sierra LaMar's family in the courtroom. They've seen support for Mr. Garcia-Torres, and they know this is the highest stakes case we have in society. It's a big burden on this jury," explained legal analyst Steve Clark.

The jury of six women and six men is expected to begin deliberations on Friday. The defense starts its closing argument on Wednesday.
 

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grace-land
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« Reply #659 on: May 03, 2017, 09:54:52 PM »

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Prosecutor-Evidence-points-to-defendant-as-11116318.php

Prosecutor: Evidence points to defendant as Sierra LaMar’s killer
By Evan Sernoffsky
Updated 5:30 pm, Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Antolin Garcia-Torres was a calculating predator with growing sophistication, who five years ago targeted his perfect victim: 105-pound Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Boyd presented the nefarious portrait of the 26-year-old defendant during closing statements, capping 13 weeks of testimony in the sensational South Bay capital-murder case.

“Sierra LaMar is dead, and this defendant kidnapped and killed her,” Boyd told the jury while pointing to Garcia-Torres in the San Jose courtroom packed with Sierra’s family. “He learned he needed a victim younger and smaller and more vulnerable. This time he succeeded. He has only one more hurdle — each and every one of you.”
 
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