Sierra LaMar Murder Retrial Begins in California

Antolin Garcia-Torres’s retrial began in Santa Clara County over the 2012 disappearance and presumed killing of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, whose body has never been found. Prosecutors allege Garcia-Torres abducted and killed her, citing DNA and carpet-fiber evidence they say links LaMar to his car and him to her clothing. The defense says the forensic evidence is inconclusive and was mishandled, and argues investigators may have overlooked another suspect. Garcia-Torres’s 2017 conviction was overturned after an appeals court ruled that evidence about three unrelated attempted kidnappings unfairly prejudiced him. The retrial is expected to last weeks and may continue into next year.