The man convicted of killing Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Vanessa Zecher announced the fate of 26-year-old Antolin Garcia-Torres after emotional testimony from Sierra’s family.
#SierraLaMar - judge just formally pronounced sentence. LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE He took a deep breath, looked down, then steeled his face and stared straight ahead
— tracey kaplan (@tkaplanreport) December 12, 2017
Sierra LaMar
“You have robbed Sierra of what God had planned for her, and the lives she could have changed,” Marlene LaMar told her daughter’s killer, who listened inexpressively without eye contact, according to ABC7 Bay Area correspondent Chris Nguyen.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Garcia-Torres, who was also convicted of attempting to kidnap three women from Safeway parking lots a few years before Sierra’s 2012 disappearance. But a jury decided on life without parole for the murder of the missing teen, whose body was never found.
Garcia-Torres, who was also ordered to register as a sex offender, reportedly plans to appeal his sentence. For real-time coverage of the sentencing, check out the #SierraLaMar hashtag on Twitter.
#NOW: "You have robbed Sierra of what God had planned for her, and the lives she could've changed" - Marlene LaMar to Antolin Garcia-Torres during her victim impact statement #SierraLaMar #SantaClaraCounty — Chris Nguyen ABC7 (@ChrisNguyenTV) December 12, 2017
Defense attorney Lopez says Antolin Garcia-Torres wanted to “address the court informally” but prosecution wanted it on the record, so Garcia-Torres’s will not testify. His attorney says he plans to exercise his right to appeal. #SierraLaMar
— Maureen Naylor (@MaureenKTVU) December 12, 2017
I disagree with the sentence. He should be put to death.
The Sheriff and the prosecution did a good job at making the connection between Antolin and Sierra. There’s pretty much no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was in contact with her. I think for the family though, they should have given him the death penalty for their sake. They shouldn’t have to spend the next 60 years attending parole board hearings to keep this waste of flesh in prison.
If I thought the site would allow it, I’d start a Go Fund Me page for the state prison inmate who “persuades” Garcia-Torres to reveal the location of his victim’s body.
Why won’t this scum have the decency to disclose where the body of this beautiful girl is? If there was ever a time for “waterboarding,” or some other means of torture “you know like what he did?” Is our system so flawed like the trial in San Francisco of an illegal immigrant that took the life of an innocent girl? If that’s “justice,” where’s the justice? Why do we have people that commit crimes and are not a citizen, get “rights?”
Life without the possibility of parole, anyone want to bet he’s out in less than 30?
Maybe they should take him to St. James Park for some good ol’ fashion vigilante justice? Or, follow the law…..