More than three years after the disappearance of their teenage daughter, the Sierra Lamar family will finally get their day in court.
An April 25, 2016 trial date has been set for their child’s accused murder, Antolin Garcia-Torres.
“The trial date was set. We’re going forward,” said Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Boyd, who is prosecuting the case. “We intend on proving the charges without a reasonable doubt, and that’s the date we’re scheduled to do it.”
Judge Thang Barrett set the trial date Wednesday at San Jose’s Hall of Justice.
Garcia Torres pleaded not guilty in February 2014 to the charge that he kidnapped and murdered Sierra Lamar, who was 15 at the time of her disappearance. He is also charged with three unrelated attempted carjackings and assaults in the parking lot of two Safeway grocery stores in Morgan Hill in 2009.
Police say Sierra disappeared March 16, 2012 from her north Morgan Hill home while she was walking to her school bus stop near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues. She was a sophomore at Sobrato High School when she disappeared.
Garcia Torres was arrested for his alleged involvement in the crime May 2012, and remains in custody at the county jail without bail on the charge of murder. If convicted, he faces a possible penalty of death.
Despite search efforts by law enforcement and a dedicated team of volunteers, who logged more than 54,000 hours of searching, Sierra’s body still has not been found.
