Post by LadyBlue on Oct 7, 2012 4:36:36 GMT -5
Sierra LaMar suspect's father convicted of child molestation
MORGAN HILL -- 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.
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.
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 confessed in a phone call recorded by police and wrote a letter of apology to the young woman.
He 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. Garcia-Torres' father's history also will not figure in the son's trial, though it may come up during sentencing if he is convicted of killing Sierra.
Garcia-Torres' family background may ultimately be seen as grounds for sympathy or merely as the pathological root of his suspected criminality. But his father's case helps illuminate what life was like in the family home where Garcia-Torres was raised.
According to court documents, Fernandez was convicted during the 1980s of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol. It was unclear Tuesday how much time he served in prison away from his family.
The female relative who claims Fernandez molested her for years came forward last summer, about 11 months before Garcia-Torres was arrested on suspicion of killing the Morgan Hill teen. The molestation charges against Fernandez were also filed well before his son was arrested.
The young woman reported the abuse to protect her own children after living for years with an unbearable secret that poisoned her childhood.
www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21636359/san-jose-sierra-lamar-suspects-father-convicted-child
MORGAN HILL -- 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.
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.
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 confessed in a phone call recorded by police and wrote a letter of apology to the young woman.
He 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. Garcia-Torres' father's history also will not figure in the son's trial, though it may come up during sentencing if he is convicted of killing Sierra.
Garcia-Torres' family background may ultimately be seen as grounds for sympathy or merely as the pathological root of his suspected criminality. But his father's case helps illuminate what life was like in the family home where Garcia-Torres was raised.
According to court documents, Fernandez was convicted during the 1980s of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol. It was unclear Tuesday how much time he served in prison away from his family.
The female relative who claims Fernandez molested her for years came forward last summer, about 11 months before Garcia-Torres was arrested on suspicion of killing the Morgan Hill teen. The molestation charges against Fernandez were also filed well before his son was arrested.
The young woman reported the abuse to protect her own children after living for years with an unbearable secret that poisoned her childhood.
www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21636359/san-jose-sierra-lamar-suspects-father-convicted-child