Deceased/Not Found CA - Sierra LaMar, 15, Morgan Hill, 16 March 2012 #19 *A. Garcia-Torres guilty*

[Niner]

With all of the prayers & concentration going toward finding Sierra, I wonder if someone out walking or hiking with his dog might not break this impasse. People who love walking stray off beaten tracks and dogs are ever so curious and gifted in their senses.

Yes, I was SO hoping that someone this past Memorial Day weekend - hiking or/and walking their dogs would have found Sierra... :banghead:

also - I again noticed a WHOLE bunch of new people here, so...

:welcome4:

:greetings:

 

[GrainneDhu]

The stupidity of the statement from the defense is encouraging to me...if that is the best he could come up with right now, I am still firm on believing that LE has lots of work with against his client...

Clu, I don't think that statement came from his defence lawyer. Mr Clark appears to me to be a lawyer who has morphed into a talking head, providing commentary on legal cases.

Mr Clark was probably given a 5 minute briefing or a one page summary of the case and asked to comment on the air about it. That's how a lot of expert commentators are treated and that's why some of them sound so out of it. They're actually woefully under prepared to comment but hey, the money is good and so is the prestige.

AGT's defence attorney seems to be keeping a low profile, which is frustrating from the media point of view but very smart in terms of his client's best interests.

 

[GrainneDhu]

I am having a very difficult time understanding how a large corporation like SAFEWAY wasn't more proactive (or were they?) about these assaults in their parking lots!(Just one or all three in Safeways?) Anyone know what, if anything they did after the FIRST or SECOND assault to protect their Customers? (Apparently not enough since there was a THIRD attack?!) And please, someone explain to me how AGT's wanted poster could be on their front doors and no Safeway employee called in a tip? (Or did they?)I mean the guy worked there!!! And how could they NOT know that car wasn't his? It's so distinctive. Maybe I just don't have the whole story, but Safeway isn't looking too good at the moment...just my opinion!

I may very well be wrong since I haven't checked the archives but I believe the attacks all took place during one week in March 2009. That's a very short amount of time for a corporation that size to respond to anything. The manager has to kick it upstairs to the regional manager who has to kick it upstairs to the VP in charge of security who has to generate or approve a solution, blah blah blah.

Safeway may very well have taken additional security precautions at some point after the first attack but part of security is to keep it secret. Don't tell anyone who doesn't need to know just what you're doing in terms of security and it is more likely your security measures will be successful.

One of the attacks was not, in my strictly amateur opinion, even an attack in legal terms. The victim heard footsteps behind her at 11 pm, increased her speed, said that the footsteps also increased in speed, got into her car, locked the doors and saw the suspect staring at her with what she described as a smirk on his face.

I have no doubt it was scary as all get out but in legal terms, what exactly did the suspect do that was illegal? She was in a parking lot. He was in the same parking lot. She was walking to her car and had the impression he was following her. Although she felt he was following and matching her increase in speed, the fact of the matter is that she got safely into her car, so he couldn't not have been that close to her.

Staring and smirking in public is obnoxious but not illegal; otherwise I estimate the majority of 18-25 year old men would be serving time. And a fair number of teens and older men, too.

As for why no one who worked with him called him in based on the sketch, well, I seem to be in the minority here because I don't think the sketch looks anything like the photos I've seen of AGT. To me, there is barely anything there that matches AGT's features in his photos. Considering it is fairly common for people to differ in real life compared to their photos (the whole "the camera puts on ten pounds" thing), I don't think it's too farfetched to think that no one who worked with him saw the resemblance.

Particularly if AGT did his "good guy" act at work. If he was creepy at work the way Gary Ridgway was, then I think it would be easier to think maybe the sketch was of AGT. But if he was a nice guy and not creepy at all, then it would be more difficult to associate someone like that with the violent behaviour of the perp.

 

[Claudette]

Yeah! Not only that, but didn't his mom say he knew he was being followed? If he knew he was being followed, he probably wouldn't go anywhere near where he put her body and would stay away from suspicious activity. Duh. His mother is not doing him any favors saying things like that.

:moo:, the mother is so sick of the bad behavior of the men in her family that she's just...done with it and can't be in denial anymore. If he did it well then doggone-it he's going to pay for what he did. She's already lived through enough BS with her other son and her husband. I'd be hardened by that point. Now that's not to say she's actually going to come out and say "yeah he probably did it" but she's the only one that seems to not be making excuses for him.

 

[Claudette]

If I'm not mistaken, the charge of murder with special circumstances makes him eligible for the death penalty. It appears they chose to charge him this way for that reason and also so they could use it as a bargaining chip for life in prison without parole if he tells them where Sierras body is.

IMO, they must have some pretty damning evidence by choosing to go this route, knowing that if they don't get a conviction he could walk.

I certainly hope that is the case.

I wonder if their plan is to continue to investigate those Safeway attacks in 2009 and if he does go free, immediately arrest him for those.

 

[Claudette]

With all of the prayers & concentration going toward finding Sierra, I wonder if someone out walking or hiking with his dog might not break this impasse. People who love walking stray off beaten tracks and dogs are ever so curious and gifted in their senses.

Walkers or hunters - seem to always be the ones to find them.

 

[Claudette]

IMO you are very close to the reality Cazador. My only call out would be the accomplice could very well be a "she" and not a "he". And yes, they will turn. The videos will be damning.

Good point, you might be right.

 

[Claudette]

Large corps tend to keep a low profile when something bad happens in or around their premises. When Michelle Le was kidnapped Kaiser was mum on everything to do with the case. Very disturbing that they are like this.

What do people expect them to do? If they get involved they're at risk for lawsuits which depending on the amount could lead to layoffs. They were only "involved" because these sickos attacked on their property.

 

[DLynn]

What do people expect them to do? If they get involved they're at risk for lawsuits which depending on the amount could lead to layoffs. They were only "involved" because these sickos attacked on their property.

I think they could make an effort to at least help in some way. When I worked at Kaiser and Michelle Le disappeared they wouldn't even let me put up her poster in the break room, we were all told not to even talk about it. That was BS. I hated the way they handled it.

 

[cocomod]

I think that it is quite possible that someone that knew AGT may have called him in as a possible "match" to the description. I was appalled to recently read about Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo. When there was a serial rapist in the area, several people that knew Paul called him in as fitting the description. He was finally questioned, and a DNA swab was taken. They ruled out all but 5 men in the DNA search, and Paul was one of the 5. However, newer cases took precedence, and the 5 DNA samples were set aside. It wasn't until he was caught that they tested the old DNA sample and it was proven that he was the serial rapist. He was free for a couple of years before they checked again. If they had but continued the tests before, 2 teenage girls may not have been murdered.

I am not saying that this is the case here, but I do think that sometimes LE gets busy/bogged down/over worked. I think that sometimes they are understaffed. Sometimes, just a tip without any reason to back it up may be overlooked when there are tons of tips coming in. I would imagine that the rape attempts in 2009 caused quite a furor; and there may have been thousands of tips of men that looked like the composite. Without other information or evidence, they couldn't have possibly checked out every single tip.

I hope that they look back at these and at some point charge him for these attemped rapes as well. There is nothing at all wrong with having additional charges against him. I also hope that they look at the attempted kidnapping of the small children. The similiarity in that composite sketch was scary! JMHO

I am all but certain that they have the right guy here; and I do not know all of the evidence yet. How in the world could he really explain away his DNA on her clothing and her DNA in his car?? He better not start trying to hurt her reputation by saying that they had an affair or something. However, we all know how defense teams work. Better to destroy her reputation and his family than to admit the truth and stay in jail for his aweful offenses.

I hope he grows a pair and admits to this crime. I also hope beyond hope that they find Seirra soon. Bless her family and friends; my prayers are with them. These cases just break my heart. :cry:

 

[Tuba]

Morgan Hill police Sergeant Troy Hoefling says an assault charge against A.G.-T. is complete with all investigation & paper work and ready to send to the district attorney. That charge may be prosecuted before the special circs. murder. It will be useful in demonstrating the pattern of criminal behavior in the accused. (He's referring to the parking lot assaults, of course.)

 

[Knox]

:moo:, the mother is so sick of the bad behavior of the men in her family that she's just...done with it and can't be in denial anymore. If he did it well then doggone-it he's going to pay for what he did. She's already lived through enough BS with her other son and her husband. I'd be hardened by that point. Now that's not to say she's actually going to come out and say "yeah he probably did it" but she's the only one that seems to not be making excuses for him.

She does seem to have more than her share of heartache, that's for sure. I wonder if the initial shock has worn off yet? As a Mom myself, I have seen things in my own children that worried me. Nothing like this, but I think there is a maternal instinct that tells us something is wrong or off with our kids. Just curious if deep down, whether she admits it publicly or not, she knows he did this.

His father appeared in court Friday, next appearance is 06/29/12. Still would like to know exactly what those charges are for and if ADT had a relationship with him.

 

[krkrjx]

She does seem to have more than her share of heartache, that's for sure. I wonder if the initial shock has worn off yet? As a Mom myself, I have seen things in my own children that worried me. Nothing like this, but I think there is a maternal instinct that tells us something is wrong or off with our kids. Just curious if deep down, whether she admits it publicly or not, she knows he did this.

His father appeared in court Friday, next appearance is 06/29/12. Still would like to know exactly what those charges are for and if ADT had a relationship with him.

IMO, AGT's mother is torn between wanting to believe he did not do this and knowing there is a possibility he did it. She is at this time trying to justify many things in her mind. Her statement of how he is always so good with his baby is very telling, IMO. It sounds to me like she is actually trying to consider the possibility her son might have harmed someone's daughter, but is having a hard time reasoning that out when she considers how good he has been with his own daughter.

I feel sorrow for this woman having all sorts of things conflicting in her mind. As a mother she does not want to believe her boy would do something so heinous. But, I do not get the impression that she knows he did it, not for certain anyway. And I also do not get the impression that she wants him to get away with it if he in fact did do it. I do, however, feel that if he is acquitted his mother will see that as sufficient proof to believe, or at least convince herself, that he is innocent.

All JMO.

 

[Claudette]

I think they could make an effort to at least help in some way. When I worked at Kaiser and Michelle Le disappeared they wouldn't even let me put up her poster in the break room, we were all told not to even talk about it. That was BS. I hated the way they handled it.

Well yeah that's a bit ridiculous I agree. I meant in terms of like...a public statement or something.

 

[fearless]

All we need is a truth, nothing but the TRUTH!
Than justice will be done naturally!

 

[rosesfromangels]

:moo:, the mother is so sick of the bad behavior of the men in her family that she's just...done with it and can't be in denial anymore. If he did it well then doggone-it he's going to pay for what he did. She's already lived through enough BS with her other son and her husband. I'd be hardened by that point. Now that's not to say she's actually going to come out and say "yeah he probably did it" but she's the only one that seems to not be making excuses for him.

His mother comes across as an honorable, honest woman, and quite intelligent. Youre right, she's not making any excuses for him. My prayers are with her.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I am all but certain that they have the right guy here; and I do not know all of the evidence yet. How in the world could he really explain away his DNA on her clothing and her DNA in his car?? He better not start trying to hurt her reputation by saying that they had an affair or something. However, we all know how defense teams work. Better to destroy her reputation and his family than to admit the truth and stay in jail for his aweful offenses.

I hope he grows a pair and admits to this crime. I also hope beyond hope that they find Seirra soon. Bless her family and friends; my prayers are with them. These cases just break my heart. :cry:

Let's for a moment, consider this dirt bag was "hooking up" with Sierra, although that seems highly unlikely given his past offenses and his profile in general. But for a moment, let's assume he was. Who would have found out and insisted he kill her, or even help? Worth speculating on....MOO.

 

[AmandaReckonwith]

Case archive is updated.

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm166/crankycrankerson/Sierra%20LaMar%20%20-CA-/

 

[LittleMissContrary]

Let's for a moment, consider this dirt bag was "hooking up" with Sierra, although that seems highly unlikely given his past offenses and his profile in general. But for a moment, let's assume he was. Who would have found out and insisted he kill her, or even help? Worth speculating on....MOO.

Thank you for opening up the discussion to other possible scenarios. I just have the gut feeling that this is not about purely a rape/murder situation. Here is something to consider..
Sierra mentioned in a tweet, shortly before she disappeared that she thought it was weird that people she knew from Fremont were friends with people who went to her school. (Follow me on this one) Her father was charged with molesting someone approx the same age as her sister, years ago. I am not certain about her sister's age, but I thought it was around 20 (please correct me if I am wrong). So Sierra moves from Fremont to Morgan Hill and just discovers she knows someone in Morgan Hill who has a mutual friend in Fremont. What if the girl who was molested has some connection to the Morgan Hill friend and finds out that Sierra now lives in Morgan Hill. Perhaps a boyfriend who sees the long term effects of the molestation on his girlfriend and decides to retaliate by harming Sierra. Take it one step further and consider the possibility that this person has some connection to a gang. Maybe this is not about rape, but about retaliation. Maybe Antolin is one of the people given the job of handling this affair, perhaps with a promise of monetary reward.
I just do not think that Antolin kidnapped Sierra for the purposes of rape. I really feel this is something far more complicated.

Just something to consider, and of course nothing more than speculation or theorizing about other possible motivations.

 

[Whisperer]

Where did AGT work on March 16, 2012? He told his mother he drives by Laguna (clothing found there) each day for work. Was he employed nearby? This isn't exactly a place you just drive by. You have to be looking for it. There is NOTHING out there. Did he do work on her property or close by?