One week since finding Antolin Garcia Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, jurors returned to a South Bay courtroom Tuesday to contemplate the convicted killer’s fate. Marianne Favro reports.
Life in prison or the death penalty is on the line, and both sides of the courtroom kicked off proceedings with an emphasis on playing at the jurors' emotions.
NBC Bay Area
After five years, a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, a Morgan Hill teen who went missing in 2012. (May 9, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
After five years, a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, a Morgan Hill teen who went missing in 2012. (May 9, 2017)
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
A crowd gathers early in the morning at the Santa Clara County Superior Court to listen to the verdict of the Sierra LaMar case. (May 9, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
After five years, a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, a Morgan Hill teen who went missing in 2012. (May 9, 2017)
Jennifer Gonzalez/ NBC Bay Area
Artist Joan Lynch sketches the parents of Sierra LaMar in the courtroom after the jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing and kidnapping 15-year-old Sierra LaMar who disappeared in 2012. (May 9, 2017)
Jennifer Gonzalez/ NBC Bay Area
After a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, artist Joan Lynch sketches the courtroom scene outside the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Jennifer Gonzalez/ NBC Bay Area
After a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, artist Vicki Behringer sketches the courtroom scene outside the Santa Clara County Superior Court. The jury also found Garcia-Torres guilty of attempting to kidnap and carjack three women in Safeway parking lots in 2009. (May 9, 2017)
Sketch by: Vicky Behringer
Sketches of the court scene after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Vicky Behringer
Sketches of the court scene after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
District attorney Jeff Rosen addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
District attorney Jeff Rosen addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
NBC Bay Area
Attorney David Boyd addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
Marlene LaMar, father of Sierra LaMar, addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
Steve LaMar, father of Sierra LaMar, addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
Marlene LaMar, mother of Sierra LaMar, addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
Steve LaMar, father of Sierra LaMar, addresses a crowd after a jury unanimously found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of killing 15-year-old Sierra LaMar at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. (May 9, 2017)
Bob Redell
Over 500 Bay Area residents joined a search parties in search of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, who went missing while on her way to school on March 16, 2012
Bob Redell
Over 500 Bay Area residents joined a search parties in search of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, who went missing while on her way to school March 16, 2012.
Bob Redell
Volunteer searchers found an empty box for handcuffs and two used condoms at this location and believe it is connected to Sierra LaMar's disappearance.
NBC Bay Area
Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school, was last seen on March 16, 2012.
Marianne Favro
Sgt. Don Ray, from the Santa Clara County Under Water Search and Rescue prepares to enter Ogier park pond in search of Sierra LaMar, a Morgan Hill teen who went missing while on her way to school.
NBC Bay Area
Santa Clara County divers search a small lake in Morgan Hill where Sierra LaMar’s accused killer used to go fishing, (Feb. 25, 2014)
Bob Redell
Over 500 Bay Area residents join a search party in search of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, who went missing while on her way to school.
George Kiriyama
[L-R] Sierra LaMar's parents, Steve LaMar and Marlene Lamar attend a "Light the Night" vigil for the missing teen at the Morgan Hill library.
NBC News
Hundreds of people gather for a candlelight vigil for Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16, 2012.
File Image
Hundreds of people gather for a candlelight vigil for Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16.
NBC Bay Area
Volunteer Roger Nelson continues to search for Sierra Lamar, two years after the Morgan Hill girl disappeared. (March 15, 2014)
Information continues to be collected on the whereabout of Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16. Officials ask that any information on the LaMar be reported to the anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431 or e-mailed to tips@sheriff.sccgov.org
Information continues to be collected on the whereabout of Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16. Officials ask that any information on the LaMar be reported to the anonymous tip line at 408-808-4431 or e-mailed to tips@sheriff.sccgov.org
Marianne Favro
Community members hold up signs of Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16, 2012, outside the court.
Damian Trujillo
Community members hold up signs of Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16, 2012, outside the court.
Bob Redell
Several volunteers joined the search for Sierra LaMar, a teen who went missing while on her way to school since March 16, 2012.
NBC Bay Area
Antolin Garcia-Torres pleas not guilty to charges that he kidnapped and murdered Morgan Hill teen, Sierra Lamar. (June 27, 2013)
NBC Bay Area
Antolin Garcia-Torres pleas not guilty to charges that he kidnapped and murdered Morgan Hill teen, Sierra Lamar. (June 27, 2013)
File image
Investigators say this car is now in their custody in connection to the disappearance of Sierra LaMar.
NBC Bay Area
Steve LaMar, father of Sierra LaMar, holds balloons at a dedication ceremony at Washington High School in Fremont for a bench in honor of his daughter. (March 16, 2014)
NBC Bay Area
Marlene LaMar admires a plaque dedicated to her daughter, Sierra LaMar, that sits on a memorial bench at Washington High School in Fremont. (March 16, 2016)
NBC Bay Area
A plaque dedicated to Sierra LaMar sits on a memorial bench at Washington High School in Fremont. (March 16, 2016)
During a 21-minute opening statement, prosecutors pushed home the point that Garcia Torres deserves death for not showing any mercy for the teenager, who has yet to be found since disappearing on her way to a Morgan Hill bus stop back in 2012.
On the other hand, Garcia Torres' legal team stated that they were disappointed with the guilty verdict, but they do accept it and will do what they can to secure life without parole for their client. They stated that Garcia-Torres' life has value regardless of the verdict and should not be ended prematurely.
The defense also attempted to evoke sympathy for their client by addressing his tumultuous family history that includes instances of domestic violence and sexual abuse. For example, they stated that their client witnessed his alcoholic father abuse his mother while growing up.
Following opening statements, three of LaMar's friends wiped back tears as they took to the stand to deliver their recollections of the teenager. One girl described LaMar as "a bubbly ray of sunshine" while another read a letter stating that she, like the LaMar family, will never have closure.
The penalty phase began just after 8:30 a.m. A total of four documents were submitted to the court before Tuesday's session. One asked for a separate psychological evaluation of Garcia Torres to be conducted by the district attorney's office. A second document rebuked that request, stating that it violated the convicted killer's rights to stay silent during the trial.
Another motion filed by the district attorney's office opposed a doctor's testimony regarding the impact that pesticides had on Garcia Torres during his childhood. The final motion made jurors aware that if they decide on a death sentence, that decision must be unanimous.
The penalty phase of the trial could last several days, if not weeks.
