ISABEL CELIS & MARIBEL GONZALES: Arizona vs. Christopher Clements for murder of girls in 2012 & 2014 *GUILTY*

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Isabel was 6 years old when she vanished from her parents' east-side home in April 2012. Maribel was 13 years old when she went disappeared while walking to a friend’s house in 2014.

Maribel's body was found a few days after she went missing. Isabel's remains were not located until March 2017.


Defense urges separate trials in Tucson child murders​

Attorneys for Christopher Clements, the man charged in the murders of six-year-old Isabel Celis and 13 year old Maribel Gonzalez are trying to have the cases broken into separate trials.

Six-year-old Isabel Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez disappeared about two years apart. Maribel Gonzalez body was found three days after she was reported missing. Five years went by before the remains of Isabel Celis were found and identified. Because they were juveniles the attorneys refer to the girls as I-C and M-B.

Christopher Clements was not in court for this latest hearing.

Prosecutors say the two cases tie together and tie to Christopher Clements because when Clements tried to bargain his way out of some unrelated charges, he led investigators to Celis remains in a remote part of Avra Valley.

They were less than a mile from where Maribel Gonzalez body was found. Investigators say they found traces of Clements DNA on the older girl’s body.

Clements attorneys are trying to convince Superior Court Judge Deborah Bernini it’s not fair to try Clements for both murders in one trial. They argue Clements wants to testify in his own defense in the Celis case.

Defense attorney Joseph DiRoberto says, “It’s imperative that he testify in counts one through three. He has to explain how he led investigators to I-C’s remains back in 2017. He has to explain that. He has to take the stand and explain that.”

But if he does testify, and the two murders are in one trial, he would be vulnerable to prosecutors’ questions in Maribel Gonzalez murder while he’s on the witness stand.

Prosecutors argue similar crimes and similar locations for the remains tie the case together.

Judge Bernini did not rule right away. She will take some time to decide on the issue of separate trials and on a separate issue on what evidence jurors will be able to consider.

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When the cameras weren’t working in the McStay case, it was really hard to follow the trial. I agree with you, except when they start showing exhibits and things like that, it gets lost in the translation.
I just think it's time to get with the modern times and there is no excuse to at least not have video documented (whether released or not) for the court record, just as body cam for the cops. Sensitive things or things by rule of law that should be held also could be handled in a certain way. I don't know what the answer is but there is no reason not to record imo, whether live or just to retain, it protects all or should. Arguments can be made there is a court reporter but people are people/human, a camera isn't.
 

Clements prepares for trial 5 years after Isabel Celis' remains were found​

It is a case that has shocked our community and justice has yet to be served.

This week marks five years since Tucson police announced that the remains of Isabel Celis had been found in a remote desert area Northwest of Tucson.


Clements had a number of Tucson addresses between 2007 and 2012, the year is disappeared.That included an apartment complex about two miles away from the Celis home.

Clements also stands accused of killing 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez in 2014.

She had vanished after leaving her home on a walk to visit a friend.

Maribel's remains were also discovered in Avra Valley, not far from where Isabel was found.


Clements' trial for Isabel's murder is set to begin May 24, and is scheduled to last for up to two weeks.
 

Murder trials reset for child victims Isabel Celis and Maribel Gonzalez​

This year marks 10 years since 6-year-old Isabel Celis was reportly taken from her midtown home in the middle of the night.


Clements' trial has been moved a few times and on Monday, April 11, a judge reset the trial dates again to August and September of this year.
 

Christopher Clements, accused Tucson child killer, gets prison time in burglary case​

The man alleged to have killed two Tucson girls in the past decade was sentenced to serve decades in prison in a separate burglary case in Maricopa County.

Christopher Matthew Clements, 40, was sentenced on the following counts:
  • 20 years for fraud
  • 15 years for second-degree burglary
  • 15 years for theft
  • 15 years for second-degree burglary
The sentences for the second-degree burglary counts are set to run concurrently with fraud and theft, meaning Clements may serve 35 years, minus time served.
 

Christopher Clements, accused Tucson child killer, gets prison time in burglary case​

The man alleged to have killed two Tucson girls in the past decade was sentenced to serve decades in prison in a separate burglary case in Maricopa County.

Christopher Matthew Clements, 40, was sentenced on the following counts:
  • 20 years for fraud
  • 15 years for second-degree burglary
  • 15 years for theft
  • 15 years for second-degree burglary
The sentences for the second-degree burglary counts are set to run concurrently with fraud and theft, meaning Clements may serve 35 years, minus time served.
so the fraud and theft are consecutive sentences? Otherwise he's only looking at 20 years.
 

Isabel Celis murder trial moved to 2023​

Maribel Gonzalez murder trial scheduled for September 2022

On Tuesday, A Superior Court judge moved the murder trial for 6-year-old Isabel Celis to February of 2023.

Convicted burglar Christopher Clements will face charges for first-degree murder, kidnapping and burglarizing the Celis home in 2012.

The trial has been moved a number of times through the years. The latest move comes after Clements' lead attorney asked for time to recover from a medical issue.

The trial for 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez will take place in September of 2022. Clements' lead attorney has a co-counsel who will take lead in that trial. Clements will also face first-degree murder and kidnapping charges in her case.
 

First of two Clements murder trials set for this week​

A Pima County Superior Court jury is scheduled to be selected this Thursday as the first of two First-Degree Murder trials begins for Christopher Clements.

Officials estimate the trial will last three weeks.

Clements will also go on trial for the First-Degree Murder of 6-year-old Isabel Celis in February of 2023.
 

Clements transferred to Pima County Jail; jury selection in Maribel Gonzalez murder trial begins​


More than 300 potential jurors received the questionnaire.

The court is closed to the public and media Thursday for jury selection.

Opening statements are set for Tuesday, Sept. 13.

There are no cameras allowed in the courtroom throughout the trial.
 

Opening statements delivered, witnesses called in Christopher Clements’ trial for death of Maribel Gonzalez​

Opening statements were delivered and three witnesses took the stand during the first trial of Christopher Clements on Tuesday, Sept. 13.


On Tuesday, Clements entered the courtroom wearing a black and white prison uniform.

Joseph DiRoberto, one of Clements’ attorneys, said he sent his client a change of clothes to the Pima County Adult Detention Complex. DiRoberto said there was a problem with jail staff and Clements was not allowed to change.

After a 30-minute delay, Clements returned to the courtroom in a blue dress shirt and black pants. After Clements’ handcuffs were removed, DiRoberto was allowed to put a tie on his client.

The jury is comprised of nine women and seven men. That includes four alternate jurors, who will sit in on the trial in case a juror falls ill or cannot perform their duties. The jury ranges from middle-aged to senior citizens, with at least a few people of color.

The jury was then sworn in by Judge James Marner and attorneys delivered their opening statements.

OPENING STATEMENTS

In the state’s opening statement, Tracy Miller with the Pima County Attorney’s Office said Clements’ girlfriend told investigators she got into an argument with him the day Maribel went missing. The couple lived just blocks away from where Maribel was walking when she went missing.

Clements left the home after the fight and asked his girlfriend for cleaning supplies, including bleach, when he returned. He then left in his girlfriend’s vehicle before coming back with more bleach.

Clements allegedly asked his girlfriend if she looked in his trunk before getting back into his own vehicle and driving away.

Miller said Clements was gone all night. His girlfriend told investigators when he came back, he took a shower and asked her to wash his clothes and the shower curtain. The girlfriend said she just thought he was out with another woman.

Miller said Clements’ DNA was found on Maribel’s body and cell phone evidence put him at the scene.

According to court documents, investigators searched Clements’ computer and found hidden photos of very young girls in lingerie or playing at beaches and playgrounds. Some of those photos were allegedly taken in Tucson, according to Miller, without the victims’ knowledge.

In the opening statement for the defense, DiRoberto claimed Clements did not know Maribel and had no contact with her family or friends. DiRoberto also said there are no witnesses to establish where Maribel was or who she was with the night she died.

He said days before her death, Maribel was told her friend couldn’t live at her mother’s home anymore after they got arrested for joyriding. He claimed Maribel often ran away from home, drank, smoked, walked around at night and chased after/slept with older men.

While DiRoberto admitted a DNA test was a partial match for Clements, he claimed a full sample would have excluded his client as a suspect. He also attacked the accuracy of cell phone tracking, which put Clements in the area of where Maribel’s body was found the night of her disappearance -- a desert area near Trico and West Avra Valley roads in Pima County.

WITNESSES TESTIMONY

Borquez said Maribel’s body was found under a tree and next to a mound of tires. He said she was naked and there were drag marks that led from the road to the body.

Sgt. Mark O’Dell was the next witness and gave even more descriptions of the gruesome scene.

He said Maribel’s body was found tucked under a tree with two tires stacked on top of it.

O’Dell said Maribel’s body was experiencing “advanced decomposition.”

Lois Oleson, a bus driver for Marana Unified, was the state’s third witness. Oleson is the one who discovered Maribel’s body and called 911.

Oleson said she was living in Avra Valley and would often take Trico Road home. She said it was never a busy.

On that fateful day, Oleson noticed drag marks near Trico Road going off into the distance. She said she did not notice the marks on her way to school, only on the way home.

Oleson said she ended up following the tracks to a mesquite tree. She said about a dozen vultures flew out of the tree when she approached.

She said she saw red hair sticking out below a tire. Oleson said she decided to flip the tire over and that is when she discovered the naked body of the missing teen.

JURY DISMISSED, ARGUMENTS CONTINUE

After the jury was dismissed, the prosecution approached Marner. Miller asked DiRoberto’s claims Maribel once told her mother she had been sexually assaulted and used the story for attention and to distract from her “bad behavior” be disregarded in court. She said the claims were hearsay. DiRoberto said it added context to the circumstances that may have surrounded Maribel’s death.

Marner responded, “Maribel’s character is not on trial.”

He ruled the defense cannot comment on or question witnesses about Maribel’s past behavior going forward.
 

Maribel Gonzalez’ mother, Christopher Clements’ former girlfriend, take the stand during murder trial​

On Wednesday, the first witness called by the state was 35-year-old Thomas Keyes.

Keyes, who was 26 when he met Maribel, said they were just friends and claimed nothing sexual ever happened. Keyes said he had a girlfriend at the time and that his friendship with Maribel caused problems.

On June 3, 2014, the day Maribel disappeared, she texted Keyes to tell him she was coming over. Keyes said he wasn’t worried when she didn’t show up because it wasn’t unusual.

Keyes said he texted Maribel’s mom [at 10:58 p.m.] to let her know Maribel never showed up.

Keyes said he didn’t find out Maribel was missing until police showed up at his home the next day. Keyes said he has cooperated with the investigation, even providing a DNA sample.

The state’s next witness Wednesday was Valerie Colonge, Maribel’s mother.

On the day she went missing, Maribel asked Valerie to go hang out with one of her female friends. The two then planned to walk to Keyes’ home.

Valerie didn’t have a vehicle at that time, so Maribel walked. Maribel did not have a phone with her.

The following is a text message exchange, provided by prosecutors:
  • 9:55 p.m. Valerie: “Maribel is walking over there.”
  • 9:57 p.m. Keyes: “Okay.”
  • 10:58 p.m. Keyes: “I am here. R u sure she said she coming here?”
When Maribel did not come home, Valerie says she called around. She said she then walked to the places Maribel normally hung out and then met up with some of her friends to keep looking for her.

When Valerie couldn’t find her daughter, she called police and reported her missing the next day.

Valerie held up a photo of Maribel to show the jury. Through sobs, she said, “She’s about 13. Beautiful.”

Some jurors appeared misty-eyed, especially women.

Valerie then cried again and mouthed “sorry” to the prosecutor who was questioning her.

On June 6, 2014, Valerie said she was watching the local news when she heard a body had been found in the desert.

“We didn’t know where Maribel was,” said Valerie. “It was the nighttime. I got home from looking for her that day. I put the news on and I see that they found a body … then I see the tattoo. I didn’t want to believe it was her.”

She said that’s when she fell to the floor. Valerie called her parents and told them she believed Maribel had been found dead.

Days later, her worst fear was confirmed by law enforcement.


When questioned by the defense, Victoria said she was aware Maribel was friends with Keyes. She also admitted to dropping her off at his apartment on one occasion. Victoria said she wasn’t happy about Maribel befriending older guys but said Maribel “always made friends with everybody.”

Victoria also told the prosecution Maribel never told her she was afraid of anyone before her disappearance.
 

Day 4 of murder trial : Christopher Clements’ phone shows “unusual activity” the night of Maribel Gonzalez’ disappearance, consistent with being in the area her body was found​

The first murder trial of accused Tucson child killer 40-year-old Christopher Clements continued Friday, Sept. 16, with the state calling two more witnesses to the stand.


Sy Ray, the director of LexisNexis, testified on his knowledge about the value of cellular records in criminal investigations.

Ray looked at AT&T records of Clements’ phone primarily in June of 2014, but also several other months before and after. Ray looked at roughly 200,000 device connections from Clements’ phone.

Ray testified the data indicates a “unique pattern” from June 3 to June 4.

Clements’ phone was traveling, closely matching the stories of previous witness testimony.

“This is the only time I saw the device leave the Tucson area, hang out in the desert for a couple hours, go off the network and re-appear around Tucson,” said Ray. “If I looked at this with no background knowledge, I would have looked at this as an ‘area of interest.’”

Ray worked in law enforcement for decades in Arizona before creating his own company in 2013 called ZetX, which uses phone records to track a person’s location. Ray says ZetX has mapped millions of phone calls and data usage in the U.S. and can pinpoint someone’s general location with about a 96% accuracy rate.

Ray testified about the movements of Clements’ phone the night Maribel went missing into the following morning.

On June 3, 2014, Ray said the phone was located at Clements’ home until about 9:39 p.m., then moved south to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base area. Maps provided in court showed the device moving toward the Tucson International Airport. It was located near Valencia Road or Tucson Boulevard from about 10:30 p.m. until after 11 p.m.

By 11:39 p.m., the phone appeared to be moving into the area of his home, at 5826 Elida Street, with some movement in that area before moving north, then northwest along I-10.

By 12:39 a.m., Ray said the device clearly slowed down in the general Avra Valley area.

Because the cellphone range is a lot larger in rural areas, Ray said it’s hard to tell exactly where the phone was in Avra Valley, whether it was on I-10 or just west of it.

Ray says Clements is moving, possibly slowly, in that rural area until 2:27 a.m. That’s when the device is powered off.

It returns online at 6:43 a.m. near I-10 and speedway. The device is back home just before 7 a.m.

At 8:45 a.m., the phone travels south to the same area it visited the night before just north of Davis Monthan.

At 9:55 a.m., the device returns at the residence and remains there for the rest of the day.

“This is the only time I saw the device leave the Tucson area, hang out in the desert for a couple hours, go off the network and re-appear around Tucson,” said Ray. “That was a unique pattern. If I looked at this with no background knowledge, I would have looked at this as an area of interest.”

According to Ray, the device is consistent with being in the area where Maribel’s body was found.

Ray’s testimony to this point matches up with testimony by Clements’ former girlfriend, Melissa Stark, who said they had a fight that evening and Clements left sometime after 8 p.m. She said he returned at around midnight asking for bleach then left again for several hours. She claims he did not follow through with plans and stayed home all day to sleep on June 4. On June 5, she says he insisted they go to Phoenix.

When the defense asked, “Is it possible Mr. Clements’ phone may have never exited I-10 on June 4?” Ray responded, “I would say that is impossible.”
 
I wonder why? They were CHILDREN!
And with his previous crimes and incidents. This country is becoming a bunch of murderer catering morons! Instead of for the victim(s). There are 2 here that are children. Put ALL murderers to death. Period! Them sitting in prison doesn't do anything! They have no conscience. So letting them live in prison isn't making them think about what they did every day in reflection and regret. THEY DON'T CARE! Let them out and they will do it again! Enough of this! Make the death penalty nationwide.
 

DAY 5: DNA expert weighs in, says Christopher Clements “cannot be excluded as contributor” from evidence found​

The murder trial of accused Tucson child killer 40-year-old Christopher Clements continued Tuesday, Sept. 20, with more witnesses and experts taking the stand.

So far, the state has called 15 witnesses to the stand.


Forensic DNA Analyst Alicia Cadenas, who has worked in this field since 2007, took the stand for the state on Tuesday.

A pubic hair found on Maribel was tested and returned a partial profile. Cadenas said the hair was not tested to determine whether it was Maribel’s.

Cadenas said Clements “cannot be excluded” as the source.

The partial profile was tested against 26,000 samples in a data base, with zero coming back as a match. DNA Labs International also ruled out all suspects but one: Christopher Clements.

In all 18 areas where DNA data could be extracted, Clements was a match. Cadenas said the chance of this testing matching a random person is 1 in 7,400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.


The state then called Rolando Roman, who lived on Country Club Road for nearly a decade, beginning in 2011.

Roman testified he’s never met Clements. Yet somehow photos of his young children had ended up in a secret file on Clements’ computer.

The person would have been on the west side of his home taking photos, Roman said, while his children were playing in the backyard. They were 6, 7 and 8 years old at the time.

Roman said he found out about the photos when detectives investigating Clements contacted him.

Roman’s testimony establishes the story the prosecution has given the jury. Tracy Miller claims Clements had hundreds of photos of young girls in compromising clothing and positions on his computer. She also said Clements had taken pictures of unsuspecting children in Tucson.
 

Prosecution rests in Christopher Clements child murder trial, defense to continue case​

The Prosecution has rested its case in the child murder trial of Christopher Clements, who is charged in the kidnapping and murder of 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez in early June 2014.


Prosecutors continued their effort to show Clements had a fixation on young girls, based on hundreds of photos of girls found on his electronic devices.

However, the defense argued there was no substantial evidence for first degree murder, as there was no specific cause of death, no established contacts, no perfect DNA match and no evidence of the pictures of young girls having anything to do with Mirabel Gonzalez.

The judge in this case cited precedent that evidence must be "interpreted in a way most favorable to state," and denied motion for a direct verdict of not guilty.
 

Witness in Christopher Clements trial questions if victim was murdered​

The autopsy report from the Pima County Medical Examiner called Maribel Gonzalez's death a homicide because the circumstances were just so suspicious. She was found in a remote part of Avra Valley without clothes and with tires stacked on her body.

However, the autopsy could not define what killed her. It found no signs of trauma, drug overdose or illness.

A deputy Pima County Medical Examiner testified it was possible Maribel was strangled but heavy decomposition might have obscured the signs.

The first witness for Clements' defense was Doctor Rebecca Hsu. She’s in private practice but has served in the medical examiner's office for Maricopa and other counties.

She testified she would not have concluded homicide based on how the body was found.

She said it could have been homicide but heat stroke or an undetected medical condition could have caused the death, so she would have called the cause undetermined.

The defense only had one witness ready to go so the jury is excused until Tuesday.
 
And with his previous crimes and incidents. This country is becoming a bunch of murderer catering morons! Instead of for the victim(s). There are 2 here that are children. Put ALL murderers to death. Period! Them sitting in prison doesn't do anything! They have no conscience. So letting them live in prison isn't making them think about what they did every day in reflection and regret. THEY DON'T CARE! Let them out and they will do it again! Enough of this! Make the death penalty nationwide.
I have had absolutely no time or life but the rare moment I try to keep up I check the case threads. And see your remarks like this and no kidding and I feel the same, it has gone crazy, all for the defendants, the perps, letting them out, not sentencing them for long enough, trials delayed by eons for no reason, appeals the same.

And even in the states the death penalty still exists, it has lost its teeth or appeals go on so long that it is all just a bunch of BULLSH*T!!

Murderous raping thugs walking our streets because of why???? Pansy arses in office or in courtrooms? They don't care? Or political? Or just have no balls?
 

Closing arguments to begin for man accused of murdering 13-year-old girl in Tucson​

The first trial for a Tucson man accused of murdering two young girls is coming to a close, his fate soon to be in the jury’s hands.

One of the most surprising aspects of this trial is that it only began two weeks ago. Often high-profile murder cases can go on for months, but what stands out is the number of witnesses the prosecution and defense called. The state bolstered its case that Clements killed Gonzalez by calling 24 witnesses. The defense only called three.

While no cameras were allowed inside, a dramatic two weeks unfolded in Tucson during the trial. The 40-year-old is now days away from learning whether he’ll possibly spend life in prison for the murder of Gonzalez.

Closing arguments in the trial will begin Wednesday, Sept. 28. However, no matter the outcome of this trial for the death of Gonzalez, Clements will stand trial next year for the murder of six-year-old Celis.
 

Jury finds Christopher Clements guilty in Tucson kidnapping and murder of Maribel Gonzalez​

A jury found Christopher Clements guilty in the disappearance and death of a 13-year-old girl in Tucson in 2014.

Clements, 40, was convicted by a jury Friday at Pima County Superior Court of first-degree murder of an individual under 15 years and kidnapping of an individual under 15 in the death of Maribel Gonzalez.

Gasps of relief could be heard throughout the courtroom Friday afternoon as members of law enforcement as well as Maribel's family and friends witnessed the reading of the verdict after two weeks of hearings.


Meetings to discuss a sentencing date will take place on Oct. 12.

According to the Associated Press, Clements is serving a prison sentence of up to 35 years for a Maricopa County burglary in 2017.

Clements is also charged with the kidnapping and first-degree murder of 6-year-old Isabel Celis, whose body was identified in 2017, five years after she disappeared. This trial is slated to take place in February.
 

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