Southwest
Killer of Tucson girl who disappeared in 2012 finally found, but he is already serving life sentence
A man already serving a life sentence for the 2014 death of an Arizona teenager was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder in the killing of another Tucson girl years earlier.
Pima County Superior Court jurors also found Christopher Clements, 42, guilty of kidnapping and burglary in the death of Isabel Celis, who was 6 when she vanished from her parents’ home in 2012.
Clements is scheduled to be sentenced March 25.
EX-AZ EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WORKERS USED ‘GHOST STUDENTS’ TO LAUNDER VOUCHER MONEY
Jurors began deliberating Tuesday in Clements’ retrial, which began Feb 7. Jurors in the earlier trial failed to reach a verdict last year, prompting a mistrial.
Clements became a suspect in Celis’ death in 2017, when he told FBI agents that he could lead them to the girl’s remains — but said he had nothing to do with her death — in exchange for having charges in an unrelated burglary case dropped, Tucson police said.
In closing arguments Tuesday, Deputy County Attorney Tracy Miller told jurors it was no coincidence that no one except Clements found Celis in the five years she was missing, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Christopher Clements, who is already serving a life sentence for the 2014 death of an Arizona teenager, was convicted on Feb. 29, 2024, of first-degree murder in the killing of another Tucson girl years earlier. (Fox News)
“He doesn’t come forward unless there is something to gain,” Miller said. “There’s no other person it could be.”
Clements’ attorney, Eric Kessler, told jurors that nothing linked Clements to the crime and police couldn’t prove he entered the home, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Clements was arrested in 2018 in the deaths of Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez, who disappeared in June 2014 while walking to a friend’s house.
Gonzalez’s body was found days later in a remote area north of Tucson. Celis’ remains were discovered years later in the same general area.
Clements was sentenced to natural life in prison in 2022 for kidnapping and killing Gonzalez. Jurors in Clements’ retrial weren’t told of that conviction or his history of convictions for sex crimes in several states dating back to when he was 16.
Celis’ mother and brother were both in the courtroom Thursday but left after the verdict was read, according to Tucson TV station KOLD.
A call to Kessler seeking comment on the verdict was not immediately returned.
Miller told KOLD that the “jury did a great job sorting through all of the evidence and all of the info we had to reach what we believe was the right result.”
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A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
Los Angeles, Ca
Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]
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