TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) - A secret note with Isabel Celis's name—hidden at Christopher Clements's home was a key part of testimony in the Clements trial for kidnapping and killing the six-year-old girl.
Jurors saw the skull of Isabell Celis at the kidnapping and murder trial of Christopher Clements.
The parents of the six-year-old looked away from the video screens as a Tucson Police detective described recovering the scattered bones later confirmed to be of Celis.
These are pictures of Clements from other court hearings. Cameras have not been allowed in the trial.
Clements's ex-girlfriend Melissa Stark testified while Clements was in jail on another charge. He called her and told her to look under some rocks in the yard of his house. Stark says she found a note in a plastic bag—and the note had Isabel Celis's name on it. Stark says she knew jail phone calls are recorded so no one mentioned the name—and she destroyed the note.
MORE ON THE CLEMENTS TRIAL:
- Child murder trial begins in death of 6-year-old Isabel Celis
- Defense attorney tries to pin murder of 6 year old Isabel Celis on her father
- Attorneys continue to argue father of Isabel Celis kidnapped, murdered her
Prosecutor Tracy Miller asked Clements's former girlfriend about iPads in the house that contained a locked folder only Clements could open. Investigators say they found pictures of young girls in provocative poses apparently downloaded from the internet—and also found pictures of young girls shot secretly around Tucson.
Clements's attorney Eric Kessler got Melissa Stark to concede she’s been convicted of two felonies in Maricopa County. She was charged along with Clements there in burglary and fraud cases.
Attorneys have not been allowed to mention Clements's recent conviction for the kidnapping and killing of 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez. Her body was found in the same area where Clements led FBI agents to Isabel Celis's remains. He led investigators there in return for getting unrelated charges dropped. He told detectives he simply knew the location without having a role in the death.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
