Current:Home > StocksMan serving life in prison for 2014 death of Tucson teen faces retrial in killing of 6-year-old girl -RiskWatch
Man serving life in prison for 2014 death of Tucson teen faces retrial in killing of 6-year-old girl
View
Date:2025-04-15 02:03:35
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A man already serving a life prison sentence for the 2014 death of a Tucson teenager is facing a retrial in the kidnapping and killing of a 6-year-old girl.
Jury selection began Tuesday in the second murder trial for Christopher Clements in the Isabel Celis case.
Celis vanished from her parents’ Tucson home in April 2012.
Authorities said Clements became a suspect in 2017 when he told the FBI he could lead investigators to Celis’ remains in return for having unrelated charges dropped.
At the time, Clements said he simply knew the location of the girl’s remains but had nothing to do with her death.
After a 10-day trial last year, Pima County Superior Court jurors deliberated for nine hours over two days but couldn’t reach a verdict on the first-degree murder charge against Clements. A mistrial was declared last March.
Four weeks have been set aside for the retrial.
Clements, 42, was sentenced to natural life in prison in November 2022 for the kidnapping and killing of 13-year-old Maribel Gonzales, who disappeared in June 2014 while walking to a friend’s house.
Her body was found days later in a remote desert area north of Tucson.
A different jury heard Clements’ first trial involving Celis.
Authorities said the Gonzales case included evidence that her body showed a partial DNA match to Clements, but Celis’ remains were so degraded that the first trial didn’t include any claim of a match to the defendant.
Clements, a convicted sex offender with a long criminal record, was arrested in 2018 and indicted on 22 felony counts in connection with the deaths of the two girls.
veryGood! (759)
Related
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Ciara Teams up With Gap and LoveShackFancy on a Limited-Edition Collection for Every Generation
- This Eye-Catching Dress Will Be Your Summer Go-To and Amazon Has 33 Colors To Choose From
- Ciara Teams up With Gap and LoveShackFancy on a Limited-Edition Collection for Every Generation
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- This week on Sunday Morning (August 6)
- Man survives being stabbed through the head with a flagpole, police say
- The economy added jobs at a solid pace in July, reinforcing hopes about the economy
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Hugh Hefner's Wife Crystal Hefner Is Ready to Tell Hard Stories From Life in Playboy Mansion
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Judge rejects attempt to temporarily block Connecticut’s landmark gun law passed after Sandy Hook
- Unorthodox fugitive who escaped Colorado prison 5 years ago is captured in Florida, officials say
- What jobs are most exposed to AI? Pew research reveals tasks more likely to be replaced.
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- AP-Week in Pictures: July 28 - Aug. 3, 2023
- North Dakota regulators deny siting permit for Summit carbon dioxide pipeline
- At Yemeni prosthetics clinic, the patients keep coming even though the war has slowed
Recommendation
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Inventors allege family behind some As Seen On TV products profit from knocking off creations
Cardi B's alleged microphone from viral video could raise $100k for charity
Why Taylor Swift Says She Trusts Suki Waterhouse to Keep Any Secret
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
This Eye-Catching Dress Will Be Your Summer Go-To and Amazon Has 33 Colors To Choose From
After disabled 6-year-old dies on the way to school, parents speak out about safety
Former City College professor charged with raping multiple victims from El Salvador, prosecutors say