SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- District attorneys from counties across California and the Attorney General's Office are urging the California Supreme Court to review a murder conviction reversal for the man who was previously found guilty of kidnapping and murdering 15-year-old Sierra LaMar in Morgan Hi ll. During his high-profile 2017 trial in Santa Clara County, jurors found Antolin Garcia-Torres guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to serve life in prison without possibility of parole. In February of 2026, the Court of Appeal for the Sixth Appellate District overturned the conviction, citing "insufficient evidence." The appellate court said prosecutors can pursue a second trial, however, they cannot tell a new jury that the killing was "willful, deliberate, and premeditated." Sierra LaMar The California District Attorneys Association, a group comprised of several district attorneys and 3,500 prosecutors, is now urging the California Supreme Court to review the appellate ruling. The Attorney General's Office also filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the case and provide guidance on trial procedures. "The Sierra LaMar case is every parent’s worst nightmare -- and it demands a justice system that stands by lawful jury verdicts," said San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, who serves as CDAA president. During the 2017 trial, jurors heard evidence and testimony of attempted kidnappings in Morgan Hill committed by Garcia-Torres leading up to Sierra's disappearance. The appellate court took issue with prosecutors merging the murder trial together with the attempted kidnappings. Sierra LaMar (Photo via Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office) Dow said caselaw supports joint trials. "Joinder of crimes into one trial exists to ensure that juries see the full pattern of predatory behavior, to conserve scarce resources, and to avoid repeated, retraumatizing trials for victims and their families. If we start unraveling those protections, we don’t just risk one case; we risk a justice system where grieving families wait even longer for answers and dangerous offenders have more chances to escape responsibility." CDAA CEO Greg Totten said, "This case is about more than one defendant. It is about whether victims’ families can rely on lawful jury verdicts reached after a fair trial." Garcia Torres, 35, remains locked in California State Prison Corcoran, state inmate records show. While it remains unclear when a new trial will happen, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office vowed, "We will never stop seeking justice for Sierra." Antolin Garcia-Torres appears in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose on May 24, 2012. (Photo By Paul Chinn /The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) LaMar vanished on March 16, 2012. That morning, she got ready for school, exchanged text messages with a classmate, and left home to catch her school bus to Ann Sobrato High School. "Sierra never got on her bus that morning, she never made it to school that day, and she was not home when her mother returned from work that day," a sheriff's sergeant wrote. Here’s what the Sierra LaMar murder suspect said to investigators Garcia Torres told detectives that he went fishing alone that morning. A massive search effort for the missing high school student focused on the Morgan Hill neighborhood where she lived, as well as reservoirs that Garcia-Torres named as his favorite fishing spots. Sheriff’s dive teams used high-tech sonar for the underwater searches. LaMar's body was never found. Criminalists gathered DNA inside Garcia Torres's VW Jetta that had a "strong association" to LaMar's DNA profile, investigators said. Her phone, purse, school books, and clothing were scattered in fields along the sides of roads less than two miles from her home. DNA collected from her clothing had a "strong association" to Garcia Torres' DNA profile, investigators said. ...read more read less