Opening statements in the retrial of accused Sierra LaMar killer

As KTVU South Bay reporter Jesse Gary tells us, DNA evidence and timelines are expected to be central issues in this case. We're going to turn to opening statements. Monday in San Jose's Hall of Justice, Prosecutor O'Brien Kenney explaining to jurors who Ciara Lamar was and how she vanished 14 years ago as she headed to a school bus stop in Morgan Hill. She was wearing her friend's personalized San Jose Sharks sweatshirt and had items typical for a teen, makeup, an iPod, and her cell phone. She was supposed to finish high school and live a long life, Kenney said. None of that happened. Antonin Garcia-Torres stole her away. He grabbed her, put her in his car, and drove away. And then Antonin Garcia-Torres killed her and hid her body. DA did a beautiful job of bringing Sierra to life to this jury, explaining what she was like as a young girl and how close she was to her friends and family. The 15-year-old Sierra disappeared in March 2012. A 7.12 a.m. text message from that day to a friend was her last known communication. She was headed to a bus stop a half mile from her house, but she never made the school bus, never attended school, or contacted anyone. A frantic 911 call by her mother, Marlene, as fears grew into what Kenny described as a parent's worst nightmare. And she attempted to go to school because I looked into her room and she had a backpack and a school bus and everything. Okay, that's okay. I'm going to get some information and then we're going to have a deputy come and talk to you, okay? Prosecutors say a mountain of evidence, her DNA inside the backseat and trunk of Garcia Torres' distinctive car, and his DNA on her discarded clothing, prove he killed her, stripped her clothing, and hid her naked body, which has never been found. Yes, there may be certain problems with each of these items, but when you look at them collectively, they can only point to one thing, and that's the Sierra. In his opening statements, defense attorney Al Lopez conceding the tragic nature of the case, but he said the case built by law enforcement was built on fear. He targeted the prosecution's timeline, saying videos showing Garcia-Torres leaving his house seven miles from Sierra's bus stop mean he was not near the area before she left for school and was not in the area when she disappeared. Lopez says no witness or video evidence can place Garcia-Torres at the scene when Lamar went missing. DNA evidence from her clothing, Lopez contends, was a result of investigators mishandling evidence. Cross-contamination definitely would have happened in a situation like this. What you're likely to see is the defense saying we acknowledge that Sierra is dead, but that our client didn't do it and convicting him won't bring her back to her family. The first witnesses are slated to be called Tuesday. This case could last for several months. Outside the Hall of Justice in San Jose, I'm Jesse Gary. KTVU Fox 2 News.