the jury in the garcia-torres case has found garcia-torres guilty of first degree murder and kidnapping in the case of sierra lamar. this will now go to the penalty phase which starts on may 16th. we have reporters in the courtroom. when the verdict was announced there was sort of an emotional outburst followed by tears. we will bring you the key players as we expect to hear from them in the coming minutes. jessie gary you were in overflow because there were so many people in the main court. there was reaction there as well. >> that is exactly right, gasia. once the verdict was read, which was guilty of murder in the first degree, there was an audible gasp, clapping and yeahs in the overflow courtroom. so much so that you couldn't hear what the court personnel was reading beyond that. there was a large emotional reaction once the guilty verdict was read. and subsequent charges were read and guilty down the line. a lot of relief and then a little bit of crying and sniffling in the courtroom. once the judge adjourned court and people started moving out, some people stopped and were huggin

defense attorneys for garcia-torres have alleged cross- contamination during the evidence collection process, pointing to sloppy techniques by the santa clara county district attorney's crime laboratory. ( darya ) thanks will. we will check back with you through out the morning. ( mark ) and stick with the kron 4 morning news all morning as we wait for the verdict. we will bring it to you as soon as it is read at 9:00 this morning. we will also have a criminal defense attorney on set to discuss the jury's decision. and if you are away from your t-v make sure you download the kron 4 mobile app. we will send out a breaking news push alert as soon as the verdict is announced. ( mark ) this morning we are hearing from a victim of the bart mob attack last month. ( darya ) anny hong is here with more on the lawsuit against bart. anny? ( anny @ land ) rusty stapp and his family are now suing bart for three million dollars. they were returning from a birthday dinner in san francisco when the mob began pounding on the train as it pulled into the coliseum station. stapp and his family claim ba

garcia-torres relative: "no." the woman did not want reveal her name or say how she was related to antolin garcia-torres. (vicki) as we have said - antolin garcia-torres does face the death penalty after being found guilty in the kidnapping and murder of sierra lamar. however, it's been áyears since the state of california has actually executed a prisoner. kron four's dan kerman joins is live now outside the san quentin state prison - with more on this story. dan? the last execution at california's san quentin prison was in january of 2006 when clarence ray allen was put to death. that same year a federal judge put the 3 drug lethal injection process on hold. and there hasn't been an execution since.passions on both sides of the issue remain strongcurrently there are 728 men on death row at san quentin prison another 20 women are on death row at central california women's facility in chowchilla. this past november voters approved prop 66, which was meant to streamline the process and get the death penalty going ag

jury finds garcia-torres guilty. with death penalty a real possibility and hoping the verdict works as a impetus where the killer hid the body, that the a deal. we want to show you what is on twitter. obvious deal. no death penalty if the location of herboldy is revealed. somebody else supporting and hoping had a deal will be made. right here says justice. now i pray she is located so she can rest. we're getting a lot of reaction on social media. we'll be following it all day. keep up to date on twitter as well as our facebook page and on our home page. it's our top story. >> thanks very much. our coverage continues on air and online. we'll have reaction from across the bay area, including morgan hill where sierra lamar disappeared from. our reporters are fanned out gathering more information for you this morning. >> all right. while we stay on top of that. up next at 11:00, a look at the rest of the day's top stories. the winter storms nearly destroying parts of the orville dam and now the push to get the federal go

prosecutors showed the dna on a rope found in garcia-torres' car. and the suspect's dna found on the victim's clothing which had been discarded in a field. legal analyst steven clark. >> the jury believed that he was responsible for sierra lamar's death, and i think at this point they said must have been responsible for these other attacks as well. >> reporter: defense attorneys argued lamar was miserable with her family's move and planned to run away. lawyer al lopez told jurors the teen could still be alive. but prosecutors called multiple witnesses who said the charismatic 15-year-old had made a home with new friends. her constant social media activity went dormant the day she disappeared, sparking five years of fruitless searching. although the family still doesn't know where sierra's remains are they know the person responsible for her disappearance has been convicted. >> there's things that help but, yeah, there's fought really any closure. >> reporter: the people in the courtroom, family and a friends of sierra lamar let out a very loud visib

but d-n-a evidence linked garcia- torres to the crime. kron4's rob fladeboe was in the courtroom today... when the verdict was handed down. (pam)(steve) marlene lamar/sierra's mother " nothing will take a way the pain we have been feeling every day and will feel for the rest of our lives but we have been praying for this type of ending,,,,for justice..."sierra lamar's mother marlene is talking about the justice metedout moments earlier tuesday as a jury handed down a verdict that found antolin garcia torres guilty in the march 2012 kidnap and murder of her 15 year-old daughter.steve lamar/sierra's father" i couldn't look up, i just kept looking down and i just felt a flood of emotions..."there were audible sighs of relief and gasps in the packed courtroom as the verdict was read. the 26 year old garcia torres displayed no visible emotion as the court clerk read further that the jury also found him guilty of attacking and attempting to carjack three other women in what prosecutors told the jury was a prelude to the murder of sierra lamar.d

n ntolin garcia. torres next. i appreciate your time and thank you. >> how did you do it without a body and without a murder weapon? how did you get a conviction? >> that's not something i can talk about today. [ inaudible question ] >> we felt very confident about the evidence that we had. >> can you talk about how the penalty phase will play out? who will take the stand? >> as you might imagine, victim families, sierra's friends, will come in and talk about the impact that's had on their life. not going to speculate what the jury will do. it is their decision. it is a very significant one to be made. [ inaudible question ] >> i'm not going to answer. in 13 weeks of testimony, it is very difficult to say what is the most compelling. it is the whole package. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. thank you. >> district attorney jeff rosen, surrounded by the prosecution team for this case. >> interesting to see there, laura, we are not hearing comments from the families right now. they said this will be it. as

garcia-torres relative: "no."(pam) the woman did not want reveal her name or say how she was related to antolin garcia- torres. (steve) ever since sierra first disappeared---nearly one thousand people have donated their time and support in searching for the missing teen. many of them following the trial to the end. and say the verdict is justice for sierra. with their red shoes, buttons and shirts ---all in honor of sierra ---the search volunteers stood in solidarity with the lamar family. they say although they started as strangers--- the volunteers are now like one big family. (steve) the morgan hill community has been emotionally

around prosecutor david boyd reminded jurors about sierra's hair found on a rope in the carve garcia torres. >> and it's very hard to come up with an innocent explanation as to why her hair is found on rope in mr. garcia's car. >> the prosecution also poked holes in a key defense theory,

two months later antolin garcia- torres was arrested.hat's when evidence from a bag was linked to him, and his dna was found on lamar's belongings. he was charged with kidnapping and murder even though lamar's body or a crime scene have never been found. two years later an indictment moved that case forward and garcia-torres entered a plea of not guilty on february 13th, 2014. after a delay of nine months while defense attorneys filed multiple motions for more time to examine evidence the trial began in santa clara county on january 30th of this year. >>> new at 5:00 a doctor from the east bay has been arrested for alleged sex crimes involving a a patient and now investigators are looking for other potential victims. our crime reporter henry lee is near walnut creek with more. henry. >> reporter: frank, i'm outside this doctor's office. this doctor is now on leave after his arrest for sexual battery involving one of his female patients. this is the mugshot of the doctor, a family medicine doctor, now accused of numerous sex crimes. contr

garcia-torres displayed no visible emotion.lso found him guilty of attacking and attempting to carjack three other women. sierra's parents say this is the ending they had been <"we are just grateful and blessed that the jury came up with the verdict that they did. and it is going to be a safer world because of them."i could not look. i just stayed looking down and stayed listening. and then a huge rush of emotion all at once."> ( darya ) here are antolin garcia- torres parents leaving the courthouse shortly after the jury delivered a guilty verdict. his mother would not comment on the verdict as she was escorted by sheriff's deputies. ( mark ) and happening today... lawyers are set to discuss the penalty phase in the trial of antolin garcia- torres.( darya ) kron 4's will tran is live outside the court house in san jose with more on what's next. will. ( will ) the penalty phase will begin next week. the jury will have to decide life in prison or the death penalty. but it's been years since the state of california has actually e

el adn de garcÍa torres en los pantalones de sierra pero el cuerpo nunca se encontrÓ.vÓ el caso dijo que el mismo jurado encontrÓ culpable a garcÍa torres por el intento de rapto y ataque en contra de tres mujeres en el 2009 en el estacionamiento de una tienda. la familia de garcÍa torres se marcharon sin hablar a la prensa. >> fue bastante rÁpido, normalmente en un caso tan sitio como este, el jurado toma tiempo para revisar toda la evidencia. quizÁs lo hicieron muy rápido pero este es el derecho del jurado. jaime: la madre de sierra aÑadiÓ que les da paz como familia saber que esto no le va a ocurrir a ninguna otra niÑa. el jurado tendrÁ una semana libre y el prÓximo martes retomarÁ la deliberaciÓn pero esta vez para determinar si garcÍa torres recibe la pena de muerte. marÍa: la pena capital es la Única opciÓn para sentenciar que tiene este jurado? jaime: y tambiÉn la opciÓn de cadena perpetua sin derecho a libertad condicional. marÍa: echamos un vistazo a algunas de fechas claves de este caso. sierra desapareciÓ en marzo en marzo del 2012 en morgan hill. en mayo de

she feels confident the jury will find garcia torres guilty. just because we have not found her body does not prove the he did not kidnap and murder her. >> reporter: garcia torres did not testify. experts say that is expected since he would have likely had to answer to three other attempted kidnapping charges he faces from 2009. pivotal cuts when it came from sierra lamar's mother who said the 15-year-old would never run away and no means to support herself. >> i cannot imagine the pain for the family come up for sierra's friends, for their extended family. >> reporter: the legal expert i spoke to expects a long deliberation process if jurors find garcia torres guilty it will move into the penalty phase and that could take weeks since garcia torres is facing the death penalty. mazza smith, ktvu fox 2. >>> may day rallies were held around the bay area, the country and around the world. most were peaceful but several protests in the pacific northwest turned violent. police in oregon arrested more than 20 demonstrators, arrested for starting fire

jurors found antolin garcia torres for killing her daughter. the 15-year-old vanished on her way to school in march of 2012. sierra's father was among those who gasped loudly when he heard the verdict. he says theed verdict offers justice but not closure. >> there will always be grief. grief like this just will never go away. >> while the verdict is what the lamars hoped for. danielle says life without her younger sister will never be the same. >> we'll obviously never get sierra back so it's not closure but it is a good first step. and the jury did the right thing. >> as antolin garcia torres learned he now faces the death penalty he sat stoically not moving his head. after the verdict the his parents were escorted out and made no comment. as they walked one family told us this is terrible. defense attorney al lopez refused to answer questions. >> do you plan to appeal this decision? >> now the case moves on to the penalty phase. maureen lamar says she is prepared to testify. >> to be able to say in court that -- that even this verdict was jus

it wasn't until a few months later, may 21st that antolin garcia torres was arrested. after many legal delays two years later garcia torres would enter the plea of not guilty. and another two years before the trial really ramped up. the court started looking for jurors last october. the trial finally began in january and of course the case went to the jury this past thursday. you're looking here at one of the many searches for sierra. for years dedicated volunteers like we mentioned skowered the south bay ploog for any sign of her many of the same volunteers wafrpd the jury tlifr the verdict. nbc bay area michelle roberts joins from us the courthouse with more. michelle. >> reporter: well those search is t over yet. they will continue to search for sierra's body now they're hoping that torres will finally answer questions about where she may be. >> you knew when she was a room because the energy would change, very happy girl. >> this young lady says she was lucky to call sierra a friend. she was relieved garcia was found guilty but until the body is found she will pray

garcia-torres suffered the negative psychological effects of pesticide exposure. the judge has not ruled which of these doctors or experts or psychologists will be allowed to testify in this case. but the whole process is supposed to last about two weeks in this penalty phase of the trial. in san jose, allie rasmus, ktvu fox 2 news. >> and allie right now is inside of the courtroom as the penalty phase of the trial begins. she will have a live report in the noon broadcast. >>> if garcia-torres is sentenced to death, he will join more than 700 prisoners on death pro. the first execution in california was in january of 2006. just last year californians voted on proposition 62 which would have replaced the death penalty with a strict life sentence. it failed with only 46% of people supporting it. our question of the day is, do you support the death penalty, yes or no? let's take a look at the results. 59% say yes you do. 4 1% say no. the death penalty is an easy way out. they should spend the rest of their life thinking about what they did. >> michael says it is a wa

antolin garcia torres gives up the location of the body. the da takes the death penalty off the table and the family gets closure. closure is something that was missing here at the courthouse this morning. >> there will always be grief, grief like this just will never go away. >> reporter: sierra lamar's father hours after jurors found an listen garcia torres guilty of killing his 15-year-old daughter who disappeared on her way to school in march of 2012. >> it gives us peace as a family knowing this is not going to happen to another child and that they can't get away with something like this. we will obviously never get sierra back. so it's not closure, but it is a good first step. and the jury did the right thing. >> reporter: garcia torres's parents, escorted out of court, had no comment, neither did the defense attorney. garcia torres also guilty of trying to kidnap three women in 2009 also in morgan hill. >> hanging him wouldn't be enough. it is not going to bring her back. >> reporter: now comes the penalty phase, the jury chooses bet

"is antolin garcia-torres .. the wrong man on trial in the murder of sierra lamar?" lead defense attorney al lopez began his closing arguments by asserting to the jury, there is little evidence garcia- torres killed sierra lamar... lopez attacked evidence and says, investigators failed to look into reports of another car in the area, suggesting... they arrested the wrong suspect. legal analyst steven clark calls this.... a brilliant strategy .. steven clark/legal analyst "anytime you as a defense attorney can point to someone else as the person who may have committed the crime, that's something you have to do and that could resonate with this jury when they decide, one, is she really dead and two, did garcia torres killer her...."(steve) with no body, no crime scene and no witnesses, the jury must decide whether or not to convict garcia- torres based on d-n-a and other forensic evidence. (pam) an east bay community in mourning... after a teen was hit and killed by a train in san lorenzo. and tonight we are learning more about the young victim who was a student at kip

phase is underway as a santa clara county jury decides the fate of convicted murderer, antolin garcia-torres. >>> resident trump taking to twitter to speak out against accusations he shared classified information with russian diplomat and what his national security advisor told reporters earlier today about the situation.>>> ktvu fox 2 news at noon starts now. >>> good afternoon, everyone . i'm mike mibach. >> i'm gasia makaelian. >>> we're learning details of a lawsuit that's been filed in connection to the deadly -- up while house fire. >> the families of more than a dozen victim say the building's landlord and manager a lot for dangerous conditions. alex savidge joins us with more on the news conference that is about to get underway. >> reporter: we should hear from attorneys from the victims family shortly. those attorneys are saying that the ghost ship warehouse was unsafe and not up to firecode. we will give you a live look outside the alameda county courthouse in oakland where attorneys just filed a 50 page lawsuit against the owner and manager of that building and oakland's fruitvale

garcia - torres stared straight ahead and did not watch... (marlene lamar):" that was really hard to watch, it was the first time in a while i had heard her live on video, haven't been able to watch videos of her for a long while" (steve) also on the stand today... one of the three women who garcia-torres was convicted of attacking in 2009. she testified how she was fearful he would rape her... and how the incident ruined her marriage. legal analysts say, the emotional testimonies, like the ones today... are what the d-a wants the jury to hear .. when deciding whether or not to spare the life of garcia-torres. (pam) tonight- a san francisco family is desperately searching for a father and husband who has been missing for nearly four days. the man, who is a driver for uber, vanished without a trace on mother's day and has not been seen since. kron4's hermela aregawi spoke to his heartbroken wife... and has the latest. a dedicated husband of twenty plus years and father of two young boys.piseth chhay is described by his family as a hard worker,

garcia-torres will be sentenced next weekend could get the death penalty. search teens are hoping he will reveal what he did with sierra's body but say they will keep searching no matter what. >> we are not giving up and i would bring sierra home. bottom-line. >> reporter: sera's search team members say they have gone out looking for her, most weekends when the weather is fair. they say they will go out again this weekend. >> it is interesting, these people will not give up. we see that sentencing is going to be scheduled. where does this case go from here? >> reporter: because this is a k set a new trial, it is called the penalty phase of the trial. there will be testimony, there will be a victim impact statement read by members of her family to the jury and the jury and judge will decide whether or not anotlin garcia- torres look at life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. >> len ramirez reporting live from san jose. >>> the bay area hillsides are still lost from winter rain but firefighters say they will provide plenty of fu

antolin garcia- torres turned down our request for an interview. (steve) ever since sierra first disappeared---nearly one thousand people have donated their time and support in searching for the missing teen. many of them following the trial to the end. and say the verdict is justice for sierra. with their red shoes, buttons and shirts ---all in honor of sierra ---the search volunteers stood in solidarity with the lamar family. they say although they started as strangers--- the volunteers are now like one big family. (steve )2shot our coverage of the sierra lamar murder trial continues on kron-4 dot com. we have a timeline tracking the disappearance from the beginning

antolin garcia-torres for the murder of the 15 year-old girl.. back in 2012. we brought you the verdict live on kron 4 morning news. ((steve))kron 4's catherine heenan takes us through the emotional moment at the santa clara county courthouse. members of sierra lamar's family crowded into the courtroom.the wept and gasped as the verdict was read. "we are grateful to the jurors for coming up with the right decision." antolin garcia torres sat expressionless as he was found guilty of kidnapping and murder with special circumstances ... a verdict that could put him on death row. "this is a longtime coming. it's bittersweet. we don't have sierra - that's the bittersweet part."there were no witnesses to connect antolin garcia torres to sierra lamar's disappearance from this morgan hill crossroads.no evidence that he knew her.no murder weapon, or evidence of what happened to her body.defense attorneys claimed that she was a runaway and is still alive.prosecutors pinned their hopes on forensic

garcia torres also accused of trying to kidnap three other women in 2009. is found guilty of capital murder, we move to the penalty phase of this trial and both sides will be able to present evidence in that before the jury makes the final decision again. live in san jose, anne makovec, kpix5. >> anne, thank you. >>> time now 6:57. time for your final 5. >> president trump is labeling investigations into possible ties between his campaign and russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as a total hoax. he made the remarks in tweets following a congressional hearing that featured former acting u.s. attorney general sally yates. during a three-hour hearing she testified that moscow's medalling in the election was very real. >>> joe montana is suing the developers of san francisco's sinking tower. the lawsuit alleges that the millennium tower has sunk a total of 16 inches since 2008 and that developers knew about it. >>> san francisco police are reporting a drop in confrontations involving the use of force. the department says the number of incident

>> today santa clara county convicted antolin garcia-torres for the kidnap and murder of sierra lamar. >> we have been praying for the chapter to have this type of ending. justice. >> justice is served here for us today. justice for sierra.>>> good afternoon. i'm gasia makaelian. >> i'm mike mibach. >>> or than five years after sierra lamar disappeared on her way to school in morgan hill, a south bay jury convicted antolin garcia-torres of her kidnapping and murder. >> we have team coverage at noon with alex savidge gathering reaction. let's begin with justin -- jesse gary. >> reporter: i was in an overflow courtroom inside this department 27 on the third floor where the trial is taking place. it was completely packed. there was an audible gasp followed by cheers and clapping as jurors returned a guilty verdict on the most serious charge, the kidnapping and murder charge. and subsequent charges after that. let's look at our video. antolin garcia-torres sat motionless and expressionless at the charges and the verdicts were read. the panel of seven women and five men said the mountain o

the next steps for antolin garcia torres and his lawyers as he's getting ready to be sentenced for kidnapping and killing sierra lamar. >> a good wednesday morning to you. thank you for starting your day with us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. about 30 minutes ago, we saw the full moon. now it's sunny, light. i guess we're getting there. >> you'll be able to see the full sun today because it will be all bright and clear, except for along the coastline where we'll see clouds hanging out. that will also help cool us down. it's 55 degrees as you head out the door in the south bay. 53 in the peninsula and tri-valley. after this cool start, we will also see some of the low clouds along the coast clearing out, and it will be about 10 degrees cooler in. how about that? 73 degrees in the peninsula and south bay. tri-valley, 75 degrees. 62 degrees in san francisco. as we go into the next several days, more cool weather on the way. i'll talk about that in about seven minutes. mike takes us back to the crash on the east shore freeway. >> involving a big rig which is on the shoulder. it's at

ella dijo que el padre de ''garcia torres'' era alcholico y la familia vivi bajo contantes amenaza.---los abogados buscan convencer al jurado de que aunque su representado fue declarado "culpable" de la desaparicion y

among those who could testify on behalf of garcia-torres, a psychologist and his family notably, his ex-girlfriend and mother to his young child. >> the jury would be allowed to consider the impact on that young child. the defense will try to play on all of those sympathetic natures of this case. >> >> reporter: clark said it's a decision the jury will not take lightly since in this case there is still no clear explanation as to how the 15- year-old died. i ask the legal analyst of a deal could be made if garcia- torres gives up information about sierra's body. he said it's possible but highly unlikely since garcia- torres will likely appeal the court's decision. azenith smith, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> family members and friends in union city mourning the death of a high school student killed in a car crash over the weekend as her mother drove her home from the prom. a prayer service was held last night in union city for shane marcelino whose mother was driving her home early sunday morning after her prom when their car crashed into another car in fremont. shane was pronounced dead at th

assed with as submit their own psychological evaluation of garcia-torres. his attorneys will say that he suffered a troubled childhood with sexual assault and incest in his home. >> the defense is trying to get sympathy for him even though he has been convicted of horrible crimes. they are trying to say he is a man whose life is worth saving. >> reporter: now, another witness the defense has asked for permission to call, a doctor who says garcia-torres suffered the negative psychological effects of long- term pesticide use. now, the judge in the case has not yet ruled on whether that doctor will be allowed to testify or whether the dualing psychological evaluation of garcia-torres will be admitted. but the penalty phase of this trial is expected to last about two weeks. again, opening statements begin here at santa clara county courthouse in a couple hours from now. back to you guys. >> thank you, allie. also we will be discussing this case on the 9 with our legal analyst michael cardoza. >>> the last execution here in california was clarence ray allen in j

the death penalty is on the table for garcia-torres.ources say, garcia torres would need to confess and cooperate before a lesser sentence could be considered and presented to the judge jury and family. and he might not do that because an admission would block a chance to appeal his sentence down. terisa estacio, kron four news. (steve) turning out attention to weather.... (catherine) breezy and cooler conditions around the bay area today... chief meteorologist brittney shipp joins us now with your complete forecast. as expected much cooler temperatures are across our region today as a moderate onshore flow has combined with a deeper marine layer. some of the 24 hour changes are impressive with some inland locations 10 to 20 degrees cooler. santa rosa has seen an even bigger change of minus 25 compared to wednesday. that is due to to widespread clouds over the north bay. (steve)it's a bizarre finding that one contractor who was doing remodeling work . . .. came across last may in the backyard of a san francisco home.(catherine) a little

although her body has never been found, garcia torres was charged with her murder in may 2012. because of various legal motions and the complex nature of the death penalty case, the trial only began in january. azenith smith reports a did not take long for the jury to come back with a decision. >> reporter: after three months of lanky testimony, a jury taking less than three days to reach a verdict in the murder trial against antolin garcia torres. >> when you look at the number of charges against garcia- torres and the mountain of information this jury had to go through, i am a little surprised they got to the verdict on all of these counts so quickly. >> reporter: legal analyst, steven clark, has been following the murder case. prosecutors have tried to prove get garcia lamar -- jameelah garry told sierra lamar without a body. her dna including a strand of her hair on a rope was in garcia-torres' car and his dna was on her clothing found abandoned in a field. garcia-torres did not testify but told police that they never met clark said a quick break suggest the verdict -- juro

coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ♪ begin in the trial for accused murderer antolin garcia-torres. her body was never garcia tor >>> i'm sandra osborne live in san jose at the santa clara hall of justice where we are closer now to learning the fate of the man accused of kidnapping and murdering 15- year-old sierra lamar back in 2012. the closing arguments of the trial are set to begin this morning for accused murderer antolin garcia-torres. although her body was never found, prosecutors believe he abducted and killed the teen five years ago. prosecutors are focused on other physical key evidence to the trial including dna found in garcia-torres' car and on her clothes in a field outside her house near morgan hill. he is also accused of attempted kidnapping of three other women in 2009. he pled not guilty to all charges. the death penalty or life in prison without parole are potential charges he will be facing if convicted. the closing arguments begin this morning at 9:00. that's when they are scheduled. however, the defendant does not plan on testifying in court. live in san jose,

if convicted, garcia torres faces the death penalty. live in san jose rob fladeboe kron 4 news (vicki) sierra lamar's family and their supporters have waited five years for some sort of closure.(grant) catherine heenan is here to take us through the case from the beginning. (catherine) it's been a long, slow search for justice. with no body ever found, investigators had to rely on forensic evidence to link the defendant to sierra lamar's disappearance. natearly morning on a lonely rural road in morgan hillthis is where sierra lamar disappeared on march 16th, 2012 she was headed for the school bus stop just a few minutes walk from her home.that evening her mother got an automated call from the school that her daughter was absent. marlene lamar insists her daughter is not a runaway, whoever is out there, please please let her go. the next day, sheriff''s deputies began searching nearby fields. they discovered sierra''s cell phone in a field a couple of blocks away.and then her purse was found .... a juicy couture bag containing pants, a t

por su parte la fiscalia asegura que garcia torres no tenia conocimiento de los actos monstruosos quea cometido su papa asi que no pudieron haber tenido un impacto durante sus aÑos de formacion... pero el punto mas controversial del que se hablo el dia de hoy tiene que ver con un analisis psicologico que le hizo una especialista a antolin... presuntamente los resultados del estudio demuestran que lo que le ocurri a garcia-torres le gener un trauma y estres cronico muy significante...por lo que no tuvo manera de lidiar con el dolor... por su parte la fiscalia quiere contratar a su propio psicologo para que interprete esos resultados... la juez no tomo una desicion... en lugar, orden que la psicologa que hizo el estudio se presente el miercoles para hablar al respecto pero el jurado no estara presente... sandra bermudez noticiero telemundo 48... topvo cesar ---queremos que usted nos de su punto de vista sobre esta tema a traves de nuestra pregunta del dia.. --- qu tanto cree pueda influir una niÑez violenta en la conducta de una persona? cont. lorena ---para participar vaya a nuestra pa

told jurors a minimum sentence of life in prison would be rewarding garcia torres. but when the defense had their turn, the attorney said, quote, life in prison ensures he will die in prison. that is punishment that never ends until the day he dies. sierra's body has never been found. legal analyst steve clark says that could play a factor in his punishment. >> i think in the back of this jury's mind, if garcia torres is executed, the secrets that he knows go with him. >> reporter: the defense played on the jury's sympathy showing a photo of garcia torres when he was five saying he grew up neglected in poverty with a violent father and a mother who was abused. jurors were reminded that he was a father to two daughters and could still have a relationship with them if he is sentenced to life in prison. in san jose, jeannine de la vega, abc7 news. >> all right. moving on, we all do it, right, every now and then roll through those red lights? drivers in california who do that while making a right turn could face a much lower fine if they get a ticket. how is that for a

antolin garcia- torres is charged with her murder. his lawyers claim sierra lamar is not dead, just missing. if convicted, he could face the death penalty. kron four's ella sogomonian spoke with a legal expert who is closely monitoring this case. "obviously the threshold question for this jury that needed to be decided was, 'is it possible that sierra lamar still be alive?'one of many challenges a jury has had to face before making their decision in the kidnapping and murder trial of morgan hill teen sierra lamar. the fifteen year old went missing five years ago as she was walking to a bus stop to get to school. but because her body was never recovered, there wasn't a crime scene and a weapon wasn't found the jury could possibly find defendant antolin garcia torres innocent of murder.steven clark, legal analyst and former prosecutor "and that could explain why this jury came back quickly if they don't believe the prosecution was able to prove that sierra lamar is dead then they really wouldn't reach a verdict on a homicide." the defen

you interacted with the lamar family and garcia-torres family? >> reporter: kristin, this is the news the family was waiting to hear. sierra's father has been inside that courtroom every day of the trial. he came outside the courtroom after the verdict was read with tears in his eyes. here's what he had to say. >> satisfaction, relief, all those emotions, and then the sad emotions are there too. i mean, like a whirlwind of emotions. sad, thinking of sierra. and then, yeah, the results here today. >> reporter: steve lamar said if the daughter is watching down on all this, she'd say, hang in there dad. although he was found guilty, the pain that the family is has is still there, felt every day. the family of torres was also in the courtroom. >> can you tell us what your reaction is? do you think he'll tell them where the body is now? do you have anything to say? anything to say? any words for sierra lamar's family? anybody? as you saw, his mother walked out with the relatives, had a she was escorted by sheriff deputies because the media was surroun

garcia-torres was sentenced to either life in prison or given the death penalty. the prosecutor argued for the death penalty saying garcia- torres forever silenced lamar when he killed her five years ago. but the defense argued the jury should consider that garcia- torres grew up in a climate of poverty, neglect and abuse and remember he has a child of his own who will be affected by their decision. he went on to say that either way, garcia-torres will die in prison. >>> sentencing has been set for july 27th for a napa woman and her boyfriend convicted in the torture and killing of the woman's 3-year-old daughter. the verdict against kruger and warner were announced yesterday. prosecutors say they beat 3- year-old kayleigh slusher to death and hid her body in a freezer. they both face life prison sentences without the possibility of parole. >>> reports indicate the port of san francisco is considering building a hotel near fisherman's warf. the idea faces many hurdles. city voters would have to repeal a measure approved back in 1990 that banned hotel constructiono

the biggest question of all is will this jury convict antolin garcia torres of murder?hose there is no body. no body was ever found for sierra lamar. the court told us to be ready here at 9:00. we know that they have two courtrooms inside ready for the number of people who want to hear this verdict in person as it's read at 9:00 this morning. today, sierra lamar's family won't get more answers than they already have about what happened to sierra she left home for the bus stop five years ago, but the family may find the jury believes there iszv enough evidence against her accused killer even without her body. wh one of sierra lamar's best friends, now a 20-year-old woman herself, says the verdict isn't the only thing she and the family want. >> there's still going to be that, like, lingering question of what happened to her. like, we get it, like, this could have happened and this possibly most likely did happen. >> prosecutors hung their case on sierra lamar's dna evidence found in his car and his dna found obher clothing. in garcia torres' defense, theo lawyers tried

. >>> and last week a jury found antel on garcia torres guilty of murdering a 15-year-old sierra lamar as she left her home for school. now the defense team will fight to spare him from execution. they will face off again in a special hearing. marianne favro is live at the hall of justice in san jose with the details. and many more will be watching this process as well. >> reporter: during the sentencing phase, which begins coming up on this week, the issue is going to be looking back at garcia-torres' childhood and that is at issue during that phase. one of the other things that could be looming tomorrow is a come battle over psychologists here at same courtroom where garcia-torres was convicted of killing sierra lamar. those court documents reveal that the defense will bring in a forensic psychologist to help make the case to spare his life. and documents show the prosecution wants its own psychologist to interview and evaluate torres to see if he has any known mental impairment from his childhood. the psychologist will offer scientific data and insight but not advocate for a certain

later this week, the defensewill call garcia torres family members and other who will tell the jury thatgarcia torresis a man whose actions have been shaped by an upbringing filled with drugs, domestic violence and poverty and ought to be sentenced instead to life in prison. in san jose rob fladeboe kron 4 news (grant) hunting sex- offenders.. coming up next - on kron four news at five. we take you along with a task force making sure convicted predators .... are following the rules. (vicki) then, after more than two years, bill cosby finally breaks his silence. the comedian addressing the sexual assault allegations - as a jury selection for his trial is less than a week away. [ birds chirping ] [ inhales, exhales ] [ announcer ] cigarettes are not just dangerous when they're smoked. [ rat squeaking ] they're dangerous long after. cigarette butts are toxic. they release chemicals that poison our water... and harm wildlife. and millions... are polluting our environment. [ sniffing ] [ seagulls squawking ] you're going to be hanging out in here. so if you need anything, text me. do you play

as for garcia torres, his sisters have been there in court. we know the court waited so both families could be present. we have overflow room. they are expecting an emotional day whatever the verdict is. >> thank you. >>> and turn to ktvu in the morning and on your mobile device. download our fox app andenable push alerts. >>> former quarterback joe montana is filing a lawsuit. the high rise in san francisco has sunk more than a foot and is tilting at the base. tmz says montana is suing the developers for breach of contract. montana paid $2.7 million for his condo. now he claims it is worth $500,000 for property tax purposes. >>> a family in the high profile take over robbery on bart has filed a lawsuit. rusty and his daughter were returning home to dublin after spending the day in san francisco. he was beaten and robbed by teenagers. the family accused bart of negligence and failing to take safety measures to prevent the attack. >> my family couldn't think of this happening to another family in 6 months if we don't take bart to task and hold

. >>> the attorney defending garcia-torres is expected to wrap up closing arguments today. you will remember garcia-torres is charged with kidnapping and killing 15-year-old sierra lamar five years ago. her body has never been found. the prosecutor is using dna evidence, including lamar's dna in garcia-torres' car as well as her hair tangled in a rope found in the car. the defense attorney is trying to persuade the jury that she didn't die but rather she ran away. once the defense attorney finishes his closing arguments, the prosecutor gets one more chance to try to convince the jury that garcia-torres is guilty. jurors could get instructions from the judge and begin deliberations as early as tomorrow. >>> ktvu was inside of the classroom. she joins us live from the san jose studio. no body, no crime scene, no murder weapon. did you get a sense in the courtroom that there is more pressure on the prosecution or on the defense in the closing arguments. >> reporter: mike, legal analysts say the prosecution has the harder job. they have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that g

((fsc)) antolin garcia- torres is charged with her murder. his lawyers claim sierra lamar is not dead -- just missing. if convicted.. he could face the death penalty. ((steve))kron 4's ella sogomonian spoke with a legal expert who is closely monitoring this case. "obviously the threshold question for this jury that needed to be decided was, 'is it possible that sierra lamar still be alive?'one of many challenges a jury has had to face before making their decision in the kidnapping and murder trial of morgan hill teen sierra lamar. the fifteen year old went missing five years ago as she was walking to a bus stop to get to school. but because her body was never recovered, there wasn't a crime scene and a weapon wasn't found the jury could possibly find defendant antolin garcia torres innocent of murder.steven clark, legal analyst and former prosecutor "and that could explain why this jury came back quickly if they don't believe the prosecution was able to prove that sierra lamar is dead then they really wouldn't reach a verdict on a homicide."

(pam) with the life of antolin garcia -torres on the line....the defense paints a picture of troubling past ... as lawyers try to keep him off death row. ( pam 2-shot) there was more emotional testimony as the man convicted in the murder of sierra lamar awaits sentencing by a jury in san jose.hello everyone i'm pam moore..(steve 2-shot)and i'm steve aveson.. as kron four's rob fladeboe reports now, relatives and a longtime friend of antolin garcia torres took the stand in an effort to convince the jury to spare his life. teresa miyamura/neighbor" they're just talking about him like he's some kind of monster and he's not..."outside the courthouse tuesday, morgan hill resident teresa miyamura explained her earlier testimony that having known antolin garcia torres since he was a baby, she cannot bring herself to believe that he is capable of murder.teresa miyamura/neighbor" i never any violence in him . he loved animals, always playing with kittens and rabbits and dogs, going fishing and always taking care of his sisters.." one of those sisters cri

if convicted of first degree murder, garcia torres faces the death penalty.n jose rob fladeboe kron 4 news here in san francisco progressives hold a rally to save health care. this is in response to house republicans successfully voting on legislation to repeal and replace obamacare in san francisco haaziq madyun kron4news (hermela)joyce brown/owner and director, tomorrow montessori: it's just devestating to me and also to hav

ar tor -- antolin garcia- torres' attorney had no comment. >> the district attorney is anticipating thef the defense and knocking them down before they are made. the defense has to be very strong and emotional in the way that they start their closing argument. >> reporter: the prosecution called the defense's theory that sierra lamar absurd, pointing to sierra lamar's love of social media. it all stopped after she disappeared. the prosecution is set to resume their closing arguments tomorrow. then it's the defense's turn. if convicted, an gar -- antolin garcia-torres faces the death penalty. >>> one goh pled guilty to seven counts of murder today. he carried out the attacks in 2012 in retaliation for not being refounded his tuition after dropping out of school. in compensation for his plea, prosecutors will not seep the death penalty. >> we hope that the families of the victims and the victims that survived feel that justice has been served. >> he turned himself in and immediately confessed. he was very remorseful, to such a degree that he wanted to die. >> one goh is now expected to be

they had garcia-torre's dna on them as well. there will be continued flaring at the valero benicia refinery while crews work to restore operations of the facility. valero has advised the city that it are switcing the flaring from the south flare to the north flare. the purpose of the switch is to allow crews time to fully inspect the south flare. it all started with a power outage at the refinery friday morning that led to flaring which released massive plumes of thick black smokes into the air... prompting an evacuation in the area. the flaring also closed interstate 680. (jr stone) another big story tonight shocking allegations against a north bay county official... longtime marin chief deputy coroner darrell harris... accused of molesting a young girl... kron 4's hermela aregawi is at the sheriff's office where he worked in san rafael and has details on the case. (hermela aregawi)the suspect lives here in san rafafelworked here at marin county sheriff's department.yesterday, sheriff robert doyle described him as an exemplary

now, garcia-torres is also accused of trying to kidnap three women in 2009. prosecutor called those alleged attempts dress rehearsal. he said, quote, this man enjoyed the chase and he needed one thing from each and every woman including sierra, their bodies. closing arguments set to resume this morning at 9 a.m. live in san jose, anne makevoc, kpix 5. >>> we have learned just how much it cost to keep the peace during protests at uc-berkeley last week sparked by a scheduled ann coulter appearance that never happened. the controversial conservative speaker canceled the speech over safety concerns but hundreds of people gathered on campus on thursday to make a point about free speech. 400 police officers and deputies were on hand to keep them safe. the estimated price tag about half million dollars. in the end violence never erupted. but uc-berkeley stressing the presence of law enforcement was the reason why. in a statement it said: palestinian presid oud abbas at the whi se today. this comes as the director of the fbi heads to capitol hill wher >>> president t