A new trial date has been set for the man accused in the April 2012 killing of 6-year-old Isabel Celis, following a mistrial in the initial case.
Pima County Superior Court Judge James Marner set Sept. 12 as the date Christopher M. Clements, 41, is to begin a second trial. A mistrial was declared March 3, after jurors were unable to reach a verdict in the first kidnapping and killing trial Clements faced in the Celis case, the Arizona Daily Star previously reported.
After hearing from 30 witnesses, jurors spent two days deliberating before Marner declared a mistrial, the Star reported.
In September, Clements was convicted in the kidnapping and killing of Maribel Gonzalez, 13, in June 2014. He was sentenced to natural life in prison for first-degree murder plus another 17 years in prison for kidnapping, which will be served consecutively, the Star reported.
The trial began on Feb. 14 and resulted in a Pima County judge declaring a mistrial on March 3. Video by Caitlin Schmidt / Arizona Daily Star
