Deceased/Not Found CA - Sierra LaMar, 15, Morgan Hill, 16 March 2012 #22 *A. Garcia-Torres guilty*

[Emi]

tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport 44s45 seconds ago
Both analysts have their own work areas and lockers #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account @tkaplanreport 3m3 minutes ago
#SierraLaMar -Def atty notes there is common area on 3rd floor of trace evidence section of lab that analysts Dupree & Gillis both have used
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 2m2 minutes ago
#SierraLaMar: Dupree didn't note discrepancy in # of hairs. Sometimes she will call cops/sheriff's if zero hair in an envelope, didn't call

 

[Emi]

tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 53m53 minutes ago
U can tell if a person is male or female from DNA. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 57m57 minutes ago
Homozygote v heterozygote #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 58m58 minutes ago
Defense disputes DNA findings on several grounds, including b/c tiny, mixed samples. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 60m60 minutes ago
Electropheragram? #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 1h1 hour ago
Bell is going through it too fast. May be a mistake. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 1h1 hour ago
She's explaining "alleles" & "short tandem repeats" (STRs). Jurors 10 & 11 have scrunched-up faces, baffled. Me too! #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 1h1 hour ago
Unique except for identical twins, who have same DNA. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 1h1 hour ago
Bell giving lesson in DNA to jury. DNA is present in blood, skin, saliva, semen, bones, tissues etc. u get 1/2 frm each parent #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 2h2 hours ago
Defense has consulted w/SF lawyer/DNA specialist Bicka Barlow, who is sitting at defense table. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 2h2 hours ago
Bell is a criminalist in forensic biology unit, DNA specialist. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 2h2 hours ago
New wit taking stand: Michele (Ebert) Bell. Probably from crime lab but lawyer's at sidebar. #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 2h2 hours ago
Boyd asks, were u there when Sgt typed the label saying 9 hairs? "Wd u agree 9 & 8 r near each other on keyboard?" #SierraLaMar
tracey kaplan‏Verified account@tkaplanreport 2h2 hours ago
#SierraLaMar: Dupree didn't note discrepancy in # of hairs. Sometimes she will call cops/sheriff's if zero hair in an envelope, didn't call

 

[Emi]

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/01/sierra-lamar-smoking-gun-or-fizzled-firecracker/

 

[krkrjx]

Could it be that the tweeter on the scene has taken a shine to the defendant in this case? Hey...it happens! Well, maybe/maybe not. Who can say for sure either way? I do hope that the DA takes the time to ease the jurors' minds about DNA evidence. It's boring testimony, repetitive, and in terms that lay people do not always understand. If jurors are looking confused or bored, that needs to be dealt with by the prosecutor and he/she needs to do it in a way that does not bore or confuse further. JMO.

 

[krkrjx]

Why can't I do paragraphs anymore?

 

[Niner]

Good morning all! Well, it's night for you all following this trial...

snipped by me....
One hair of hers was found on the ROPE in Jetta trunk. Def must fight hair plus #SierraLaMar DNA in Jetta, plus his on her clothes.

As oceanblueeyes said - use your common sense, jurors!!

from the Mercury News article post above ^^
The defense has suggested since the beginning of the trial that the rope didn’t have any hair on it, based on an evidence photo taken by a deputy sheriff in April 2012. Yet the crime lab ultimately found 58 strands of hair on the rope, including Sierra’s single strand.

Wondering "who" the other strands of hair belong to?? Other women??

 

[OldSteve]

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/01/sierra-lamar-smoking-gun-or-fizzled-firecracker/

First time I saw this from the above news story -

Lopez revealed Wednesday that a single strand of hair also is missing from an envelope containing evidence collected from a bag of clothes Sierra was wearing the day she vanished. The bag was found by Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies in a field about two miles from the school bus stop.

It sounds like the number of hairs in the envelope was documented, but what was on the rope was not?

 

[OldSteve]

Besides the tactic of trying to raise doubt by picking apart a piece of evidence, I wonder if another tactic is to create a frustration of wanting more/better evidence (especially since this is a DP case) into unfounded support for the defendant.

 

[Emi]

Could it be that the tweeter on the scene has taken a shine to the defendant in this case? Hey...it happens! Well, maybe/maybe not. Who can say for sure either way? I do hope that the DA takes the time to ease the jurors' minds about DNA evidence. It's boring testimony, repetitive, and in terms that lay people do not always understand. If jurors are looking confused or bored, that needs to be dealt with by the prosecutor and he/she needs to do it in a way that does not bore or confuse further. JMO.

Good morning, yes that is what happened and from an acquaintance of mine who went to the trial know that the DA doesn't like her.

 

[Emi]

Tracy Kaplan is known to lie in her reports of Court cases. Not too long ago she covered Nathaniel Howard's conviction of resisting/delaying/obstructing arrest and tried to make it racial by writing that a white Officer had arrested him. Keep in mind, Tracy was in the Courtroom and hugged the defendant multiple times- she SAW who testified and knows their names. The Officers who made the arrest were obviosly Filipino and Iranian and their names reflect their heritage as well.

Even when Tracy and the Murky Gnus was caught in their lie, there was no retraction or apology. This newspaper lacks credibility and integrity... has for a long time.

This is a comment under that mercury news article I posted regarding the reporter Tracey Kaplan; so just keep that in mind

 

[Emi]

Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 9m9 minutes ago
It's been a while. Back in San Jose for the end of week 5 in the #SierraLaMar trial
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 2m2 minutes ago
Prosecutor Boyd asking Ms. Bell questions on how forensic analysts like herself screen for bodily fluids, such as semen #SierraLaMar
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 1m1 minute ago
Ms. Bell going through factors that affect contact DNA. Not fluids, this is DNA from simply being in the same room, touching something
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 3m3 minutes ago
Bell going through analytical threshold, threshold used to call allele (gene) type. Very complex DNA testimony.
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 4m4 minutes ago
Bell said scientists use data below analytical threshold to find number of DNA contributors - multiple contributors in #SierraLaMar case

 

[Emi]

Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 6m6 minutes ago
Prosecutor Boyd immediately called for a sidebar with the judge before defense could continue #SierraLaMar
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 6m6 minutes ago
Defense: there have been cases where a person's DNA turned up at a crime scene where individual never was...says it happened in this county
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 7m7 minutes ago
Defenses trying to throw doubt on the DNA samples with multiple contributors found on #SierraLaMar's clothes
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 8m8 minutes ago
Defense: what's the probability of how often peak height ratios on graph will change so much it appears DNA from same source is 2 sources?
Jenna Lyons‏Verified account@JennaJourno 12m12 minutes ago
Defense throwing doubt on interpretation. Saying it's possible on DNA graph to misinterpret a DNA allele due to what's known as DNA stutter

 

[Puggle]

The one thing that I am very certain of is that the evidence wasn't planted. AGT was not on the "radar" until the dna database match from her clothes that was found. Only 11 matched. The authorities would never have had planted evidence IMO when they didn't know at that time if he had an alibi, if Sierra didn't run away or if there was another suspect who did the crime. How would they explain that if there was an investigation into the evidence? I hope that the jury understands this....

They had him on the radar from very early on ...... they watched him and put him under surveillance for over a month before they arrested him .... and served warrant on the caravan... they had access to the car early on as they fittied a tracking devicee, which he found and took off ....

 

[Puggle]

Morgan Hill Times‏ @morganhilltimes Feb 23
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Gillis said fibers from Jetta floor mats "indistinguishable" from those found on tape lifts from #SierraLaMar clothing.
0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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Thanks....

But its this bit that has me confused:

Strongest evid in #sierralamar v Def is fiber/ DNA. Lopez: No concentration of fibers on her sweater, jeans (as wd be if she in his car).
tracey kaplanVerified account‏@tkaplanreport 12m12 minutes ago
Lopez is actually asking if there were fibers from Jetta on #sierralamar clothes. There weren't. Lopez Implying if she in car there wd be.

 

[Emi]

Back from lunch, prosecutor Boyd calls Lynne Burley, supervisor of DA Crime Lab's DNA Unit, to testify. #SierraLaMar

Burley has testified as a forensic DNA expert in more than 50 trials in at least four counties in CA. #SierraLaMar

Judge agrees to submit Burley as expert on DNA analysis, statistical DNA interp, DNA results, bio substances screening. #SierraLaMar

DDA Boyd is aking Burley about the composition of male ejaculate, which she says can persist on a location longer than other types of DNA.

 

[SurfCity]

They had him on the radar from very early on ...... they watched him and put him under surveillance for over a month before they arrested him .... and served warrant on the caravan... they had access to the car early on as they fittied a tracking devicee, which he found and took off ....

Are you saying that they were watching him prior to the dna match from her pants? Where did you see that stated?

 

[SurfCity]

Snipped from the below link....

Prior to this DNA match to Garcia-Torres, Santa Clara County law enforcement had no
suspects in the case, and having little to go on, had contacted approximately 270 registering
sex offenders in Southern Santa Clara County (Santa Clara County Sheriff Press Release, 3-
20-12). But for the forensic identification DNA match of evidence from LaMar’s handbag to
a database sample collected from Garcia-Torres at his 2010 arrest, for a felony that was later
dismissed, law enforcement had no reason to suspect Garcia-Torres of the crimes.

https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/bfs/garcia_torres_sierra_lamar_abduction.pdf

 

[ilovepierre]

Happy to see this case finally go to trial!
I hope the jury convinces AGT...but the weak evidence being presented by the prosecution makes me think they'll acquit AGT

IMO

 

[MsJosie]

Thanks Emifor reporting and to everyone for their thoughts and input.

 

[Niner]

So if I recall correctly - no court on Fridays??

TIA! :seeya: