After deliberating for two days, a jury on Wednesday convicted the father of teenager Sierra LaMar's suspected killer for sexually molesting a female relative when she was a child, including repeatedly raping her starting when she was just 7, according to the Mercury News.
The case against Genaro Garcia Fernandez, 51, offered a glimpse into the dysfunctional childhood of his son, Antolin Garcia-Torres, who is charged with kidnapping and killing LaMar, 15, the newspaper reported.
Fernandez's victim testified he first fondled her when she was 4 years old -- in the same small San Martin home where his son, Garcia-Torres, grew up. Fernandez was charged with 18 felony counts involving two victims. The jury found him guilty of 17 counts against the primary victim. But it acquitted him of one count of molesting another child, meaning the multiple victim allegation also doesn't stand.
He faces a life sentence after the jury of 10 women and two men found him guilty.
His son would also face a life sentence if he is convicted. LaMar disappeared from Morgan Hill on March 16. Her body has never been found. But her DNA was in Garcia-Torres' car.
Criminal history
The jury in Fernandez's trial was not told of his connection to the accused killer, the newspaper reported.
