SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — What was the motive behind the kidnapping and alleged murder of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar? The girl vanished in her Morgan Hill neighborhood on March 16, 2012 when she missed her bus to Ann Sobrato High School. Despite months of search efforts, her body was never found.
Santa Clara County prosecutors are preparing their case against Antolin Garcia-Torres, the inmate whose kidnapping and murder convictions in the LaMar case were overturned by a higher appeals court. Instead of serving out his life prison sentence, Garcia-Torres was granted a retrial with a new jury that will decide his guilt or innocence.
The 35-year-old accused killer will appear inside a courtroom at the Hall of Justice Monday morning for pre-trial motions. Jury selection already began, and opening statements are expected to be delivered in October.
One important pre-trial motion that will be presented to the judge centers on murder motives. Defense attorneys filed a motion to exclude from the retrial “any reference of a sexual motive in the case.”…