"Antolin Garcia Torres, 34, convinced a judicial panel from the 6th District Court of Appeal that consolidating three attempted kidnapping allegations - reported three years before Sierra's disappearance from a bus stop in unincorporated Morgan Hill - prejudiced a jury weighing on a murder charge in the teen's death."
"Garcia Torres was convicted on the strength of DNA traces of Sierra reputedly found in his car, and a strand of hair found on a piece of rope in the trunk, as well as the discovery of his DNA on Sierra's pants that were found abandoned in a field."
"The teen disappeared on her way to a bus stop near her home March 16, 2012, and her body has never been found even after more than 750 volunteers spent years routinely conducting searches in the area for her remains."
Antolin Garcia Torres, serving life without parole for the 2012 disappearance and presumed murder of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, won an appeal overturning his conviction. The 6th District Court of Appeal determined that including three attempted kidnapping allegations from three years before Sierra's disappearance unfairly prejudiced the jury's murder verdict. Sierra disappeared from a bus stop in Morgan Hill on March 16, 2012, and her body has never been found despite extensive searches by over 750 volunteers. Garcia Torres was convicted based on DNA evidence found in his car and on Sierra's clothing. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office may appeal to the California Supreme Court or re-file charges without referencing the prior kidnapping allegations.
Read at The Mercury News
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