Trial set to begin for man accused in killing of Isabel Celis

A man already convicted of killing a Tucson teen is set for trial Tuesday in the kidnap and killing of 6-year-old Isabel Celis more than a decade ago.

Christopher Matthew Clements, 41, was arrested in September 2018, in connection with the killing of Celis and Maribel Gonzalez, 13. Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday, Feb. 14. The trial is expected to last four weeks.

Isabel went missing from her bedroom in 2012 while Maribel disappeared in 2014 on her way to visit a friend. Both cases went unsolved for years, until September 2018 when the Tucson Police Department, Pima County Attorney's Office and Pima County Sheriff's Department announced Clements' arrest.

Clements was initially charged with 22 felonies in connection with both cases, including two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping of a minor under age 15, burglary and 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, which is said to be related to child pornography.

Isabel was taken from her bedroom on April 20, 2012 while her family slept.

Isabel's father, Sergio Celis, reported her missing the next morning when he went to wake his daughter for her Little League game. During a search of the house, her oldest brother found her window open with its screen on the ground in the backyard, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.

Isabel's mother, Becky, had already left for her job as a nurse at Tucson Medical Center. She told police she'd last seen Isabel at about 11:30 p.m. the night before, when she moved her from the master bedroom, where she had fallen asleep, to her own room.

The case garnered national attention, as local and federal authorities investigated thousands of leads in the days, weeks and years after Isabel disappeared. Police spent weeks searching Isabel's neighborhood, parks and a landfill, and questioning residents for information or evidence related to the case.

No suspects were ever publicly identified, but both Sergio and Becky faced intense public scrutiny in the weeks after their daughter's disappearance. At one point, Sergio had to enter into an agreement with the state's child protective services that he wouldn't have contact with his two sons for a period of time.

During the news conference about Clements' arrest – more than six years after Isabel went missing – officials said that in 2017, FBI agents received a tip that Clements might have information about her disappearance.

Court records show that Clements' girlfriend told agents that Clements knew where her body had been dumped. She later told investigators that she only knew Isabel's name because while talking on the phone with Clements, who was in jail at the time, he directed her to retrieve a bag buried in the yard of her home. Inside the bag was a piece of paper with Isabel's name on it.

Clements' had apparently tried to avoid using Isabel's name over the phone, court records show. Phone calls from jail are recorded.

When his girlfriend contacted the FBI, Clements was in the Pima County jail on an unrelated burglary charges. He told investigators that he wouldn't lead them to Isabel until his pending charges were dismissed and his car was released. Agents agreed to Clements' terms and in March 2017, he led investigators to Isabel's remains in a desert area northwest of Tucson. The girl's body was located in the same area where Maribel's body had previously been discovered, according to court records. 

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Clements told investigators that he didn't kidnap or kill Isabel, but wouldn't provide any more information at the time. He later told investigators he had a video of Sergio Celis in a local pawnshop, implying it would help in the investigation. He also told them he might know where a murder weapon could be found.

Per the agreement, Clements' burglary charges were dismissed after he led agents to Isabel's remains, but he was transferred to the Maricopa County jail on another burglary-related case. He told investigators he'd give them information about the video and murder weapon if they agreed to drop the new burglary charge and release him from jail.

In September of 2017, Pima County Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant at Clements’ girlfriend’s home, finding a letter from Clements in which he talked about the area where he led the FBI agents. The letter implied that there were four bodies left in the desert area, and Clements claimed to have evidence about all four.

“He tells (his girlfriend) he is debating having her go to the media with this information, saying that it would create a frenzy and would put pressure on law enforcement,” so that officials might drop his Maricopa County case, court records show.

After Clements’ girlfriend moved out of the home, investigators obtained a search warrant for the yard. They found a child’s purple sweatshirt and schoolwork with the name “Mercedez” on it. Mercedes was Isabel’s middle name.

Investigators also searched computers during their investigation of Clements where they found sexually explicit photos of children and internet searches for “Isabel Celis sexy,” “child killer found not guilty,” “body found in desert” and “trace evidence found on body.”

Investigators also interviewed a man who was in the Pima County jail at the same time as Clements. He said Clements told him he knew where Isabel was, and that he might have evidence in his car, which was likely the same car he wanted released from law enforcement in the earlier agreement. Clements apparently told the man that Isabel’s body was in the desert. He also showed the man photos of what is said to be Isabel’s home.

Isabel's 2017 autopsy listed her cause of death as “homicide by unspecified means," the same cause of death as Maribel, according to the Pima county Medical Examiner's Office.

There were no suspects in Maribel's killing until investigators learned of Clements and located Isabel's remains. Pima County detectives were able to link him to Maribel's death through DNA and cell phone records, according to expert testimony in his September trial. Clements was convicted of kidnapping and first-degree murder, following two-and-a-half days of deliberation by jurors.

In November, Judge James Marner sentenced Clements to natural life in prison in connection with Maribel's murder, and another 17 years for her kidnapping. The kidnapping sentence will be served consecutively with the sentence of natural life. He is also slated to serve an additional term of up to 35 years in prison for a 2017 Maricopa County burglary.

Clements is a convicted sex offender with a criminal history spanning more than two decades and four states.

Photos: Disappearance of Isabel Celis and Maribel Gonzalez