With the end of the trial expected Wednesday, witnesses for Christopher Clements called into question DNA and phone-tracking evidence. Clements said Tuesday he would not take the stand.
Caitlin Schmidt Witnesses for accused killer Christopher Clements called into question the prosecution's DNA and GPS evidence Tuesday, as his lawyers tried to raise doubt about the state's case . Clements, 40, is in his third week of trial in the kidnapping and killing of 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez in June 2014.
He faces a second trial in February in connection with the kidnapping and death of 6-year-old Isabel Celis, who went missing from her bedroom in 2012. Both cases went unsolved for years until law enforcement leaders announced Clements' arrest in September 2018. The Pima County Attorney's Office called 24 witnesses in their case against Clements, including forensic, DNA and cell phone tracking experts; several women who had previously been in relationships with Clements; law enforcement officers and the parents of several children whose photos were discovered on Clements' computer. People are also reading… On Friday, Clements' attorney, Joseph DiRoberto, called as his first witness forensic pathologist Dr. Rebecca Hsu. Hsu questioned the teen's cause and manner of death, saying it was unclear if Maribel's death was even a homicide. The medical examiner who performed Maribel's autopsy ruled that her cause of death was homicide by unspecified means, a determination that the state's expert previously testified was based largely on the circumstances. Maribel's body was found days after she disappeared on the way to a friend's house, in a desert area in Avra Valley. Hsu said she did not agree with the original findings, adding that heatstroke or a reaction to drugs or alcohol could have caused the teen's death. She also took issue with the circumstances under which Maribel's body was discovered, saying she'd be more likely to believe it was a homicide if the body had been better hidden. On Tuesday, independent DNA analyst Dr. Michael Spence told the jury that the DNA evidence the state's expert said linked Clements to Maribel's body leaves room for doubt. Spence also said that he was not able to independently test one of the two pieces of DNA evidence, saying that by the time it got to his lab, the sample was used up. Deputy Pima County Attorney Tracey Miller questioned Spence's experience and oversight, pointing out that while the Pima County medical examiner's office and medical examiner's are subject to accreditation checks, as an independent analyst, Spence is not. Cell phone evidence disputedDigital forensics examiner Carl Epps walked the jury through a series of slides showing his analysis of the movement and locations of Clements’ phone during the period of time between midnight and 2:30 a.m. on the day Maribel disappeared. In his testimony for the state, cell phone tracking expert Sy Ray showed previously told jurors how Clements' phone traveled from his house and around town, then back to his home before it headed north on Interstate 10. Ray said that from midnight to roughly 2:30 a.m., the phone pinged off cell towers in the Avra Valley area that covered the location where Maribel's body was eventually found. Epps said his findings differed from Ray's, with his analysis showing that Clements may have been as far away as Red Rock, about 20 miles north from where Maribel's body was found. Epps also questioned Ray's estimates of the various cell phone towers' coverage areas, saying that based on the information he'd been provided, he was unable to say if the tower that Clements' phone pinged off in Picacho Peak would be able to service the recovery area, as Ray's estimate indicated. DiRoberto rested his case after Epps' testimony, with Clements telling the judge he'd decided not to testify in his own defense.Contact Star reporter Caitlin Schmidt at 573-4191 or cschmidt@tucson.com. On Twitter: @caitlincschmidt Tags Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.Caitlin Schmidt is the Star's solutions beat reporter, writing about people and groups who are working to solve problems, fill gaps in equity and break down barriers. She graduated from the UA's journalism school in 2014.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Photos: Arizona Coyotes lost exhibition game against Anaheim DucksThe Arizona Coyotes lost 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks during their NHL Exhibition game at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Ariz. on Sept. 25, 2022. The last time the Arizona Coyotes held an exhibition game in Tucson was in…
Read more »
Coyotes fall to Ducks in return to TucsonThe Anaheim Ducks spoiled the Coyotes' return to Tucson as Arizona’s third-period rally came up just short at Tucson Arena.
Read more »
Vincent Di Maio, world-renowned forensic pathologist, was force behind ‘Angel of Death’ caseVincent Di Maio, world-renowned forensic pathologist, was force behind ‘Angel of Death’ case in San Antonio
Read more »
Today's Tucson weather forecast: Sept. 27Get a glimpse of what the weather in Tucson will be like today:
Read more »
Google Play Store finally makes it easier to find Android TV and Wear OS apps | EngadgetGoogle now makes it considerably easier to track down apps for non-phone devices — just before the Pixel Watch makes its debut..
Read more »