JUST IN: Sierra LaMar Trial To Stay In Santa Clara County

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – The trial of a man accused of the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar more than four years ago will remain in Santa Clara County.

In a written decision issued today, Superior Court Judge Vanessa Zecher "denied without prejudice" a request by attorneys for 25-year-old Antolin Garcia-Torres to move the trial outside of the county.

"The court does not find that there is a reasonable likelihood that the defendant would be unable to receive a fair trial in Santa Clara County," Zecher wrote.

Sierra disappeared on March 16, 2012, from unincorporated Morgan Hill where she left home that morning for school but never made it to the bus. Her body hasn't been found despite numerous organized searches in the southern section of the county.

The decision comes after three days of testimony last week at the Hall of Justice in San Jose from defense witness Edward Bronson, a California State University, Chico professor emeritus who advised the trial be moved outside the county.

Bronson, who has testified on multiple change of venue motions for more than 30 years, made the recommendation based on his research of news coverage and a survey of 300 residents to determine if a prejudice exists among potential jurors.

Attorneys from both sides of the case presented their final arguments on the change of venue motion before Zecher during a hearing Tuesday morning.

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Dana Veazey argued that Bronson's testimony was "undoubtedly passionate," and pointed out flaws in his research.

The large size of the county would allow the court to find jurors who have no or little knowledge of the case, according to Veazey.

The fact that Sierra was a child and a daughter would follow the case wherever it went, Veazey said.

Brian Matthews of the Santa Clara County Alternate Defender Office asserted that Bronson's research showed the case still had a high prominence within the county four years after Sierra vanished.

The 15-year-old girl was considered a "universal daughter" only within the county and Garcia-Torres would receive a fair trial if it were moved outside the county, Matthews said.

The case is widely known throughout the county and has become a reference point in news coverage for other stories, according to Matthews.

Garcia-Torres is scheduled to return to the Hall of Justice at 3 p.m. Friday for a hearing on a motion to suppress evidence in the case.

• Also see: Hidden Camera Found In Bathroom Leads To Arrest Of Tenant: Police

Previous Sierra LaMar case coverage:

• Ruling On Venue Change In Sierra Lamar Trial Expected By Week's End
• Sierra Lamar Murder Trial Now Delayed Until June
• Sierra Lamar Murder Trial Delayed To May 23
• DA Will Seek Death Penalty in Sierra LaMar Case
• Grand Jury Transcripts in Kidnap-Murder of Sierra LaMar Ordered Released by Judge
• Human Remains Found Near Gilroy Not Believed To Be Sierra LaMar
• Grand Jury Indicts Suspect in Sierra Lamar Case
• Sierra LaMar Search Focuses on South Morgan Hill
• Investigators Identify Vehicle Linked to Sierra LaMar Disappearance
• Volunteers Continue Search for Sierra LaMar
• Timeline: 4 Months Into Sierra LaMar Disappearance
• Wednesday Searches For Sierra LaMar Discontinued
• Sheriff: Sierra LaMar’s Murder was ‘Purely Random’
• Sierra LaMar’s Mom Speaks to Alleged Killer
• Man Arrested in Connection to Sierra LaMar Disappearance
• LaMar Murder Charges Filed Despite Missing Body
• Sierra LaMar Murder Suspect to Be Arraigned Thursday
• Updated: Sierra LaMar Murder Suspect Waives Arraignment on Murder Charge
• Sierra LaMar Murder Suspect Linked to One Assault Case in Morgan Hill
• Prosecutors Still Sorting Evidence in Sierra LaMar Murder-Kidnap Case
• UPDATE: Sierra LaMar Believed To Be Alive

--Bay City News/Images via Patch files/Shutterstock