Published in the March 5- 18, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

Two years ago on March 16, Sierra LaMar went missing. Recent indictments by a Santa Clara County Criminal Grand Jury means the case should move more quickly through the justice system.

While the patience shown by the family and those who continue to search for the 15-year-old Sobrato sophomore has been admirable, more will be needed as the case plays out.

Antolin Garcia-Torres was arrested May 21, 2012, more than two months after Sierra disappeared from her north Morgan Hill home. He was indicted Feb. 11, after numerous Santa Clara County Superior Court hearings.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Garcia-Torres with kidnapping and the murder of Sierra, as well as a series of unrelated attacks on women in Safeway parking lots in 2009, but elected to take the case to the Criminal Grand Jury to expedite the process, according to news reports.

In a preliminary hearing, prosecutors present evidence to a judge who must determine whether or not the suspect committed the crimes. Normally, this takes place after the suspect is charged and enters a plea. The standard of proof at a preliminary hearing is well below the more well know “beyond a reasonable doubt” burden. In fact, the standard of proof at a preliminary hearing falls below the “preponderance of evidence” proof required in most civil cases.

However, apparently frustrated with a lack of progress, the District Attorney took the matter to the Criminal Grand Jury, in this case a 19-member panel, which determined enough evidence exists for an indictment.

Sierra’s body has not been recovered, nor has there been any evidence of her whereabouts. Investigators believe she was kidnapped on her way to school and think, based on her lack of contact with her family or friends, she is most likely dead.

Despite the recent movement in the case, there is still a long way to go in the court process. Patience is needed.

While everyone wants justice, justice lies not in the final verdict. Justice happens as the case moves deliberately through the legal system.