26 Jun Why the Sierra LaMar murder case is headed for a second trial
SAN JOSE – One of the South Bay’s most notorious murder cases of the past decade is on a fast track for a second trial after a court earlier this year reversed Antolin Garcia Torres’ convictions in the presumed kidnapping and killing of Sierra LaMar.
The ruling was a startling development for a case that gripped the region after Sierra’s disappearance — as she walked to school on March 16, 2012 — and continues to evoke mystery because the 15-year-old girl’s body has never been recovered. The next court date for the case is Monday; under the current timeline, official trial proceedings need to start by mid-July.
Here’s what to know about the retrial, the evidence and what comes next.
Why is there a second trial for Garcia Torres?
In February, the 6th District Court of Appeal reversed his 2017 murder and kidnapping convictions on the grounds that the court and prosecutors improperly consolidated three 2009 attempted kidnapping charges with the homicide prosecution involving Sierra. The court ruled that their linkage to Sierra unfairly prejudiced the jury, by permitting them to treat Garcia Torres as a more sweeping threat instead of strictly evaluating the murder allegations on their individual merits.
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