Attorneys’ opening statements in the trial for the suspected murderer of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar are scheduled for Jan. 18, according to authorities from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Antolin Garcia Torres, 23 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.
Jury selection began in October 2016, and is scheduled to continue Jan. 3 as the defendant and attorneys are scheduled to be in court. Jury selection and the trial will take place at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
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.
