TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A jury deadlocked last year on whether Christopher Clements kidnapped and killed 6-year-old Isabel Celis. So he is facing a new trial on the charges this week.
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The previous trial included ten days of testimony on a case that gripped the Tucson area and drew worldwide publicity when Celis disappeared twelve years ago.
Clements became a suspect in 2017 when he told the FBI he could lead investigators to Celis' remains in return for having unrelated charges dropped.
At the time, he said he simply knew the location of the girl’s remains, but had nothing to do with her death.
Clements led investigators to a remote spot far north of Tucson at Avra Valley and Trico roads.
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The location was also where someone discovered theremains of 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez. In September of 2022, a jury found Clements guilty of kidnapping and murder in that case. He is sentenced to life in prison for those charges.
The Gonzalez case included evidence that her body showed a partial DNA match to Clements. Isabel Celis' remains were so degraded, last year’s trial did not include any claim of a match to Clements.
Cell phone tracking was an important part of Clements' earlier trial in the Isabel Celis case and the Maribel Gonzales case. A prosecution witness said in both cases, Clements' cell phone was near the areas where the bodies were found.
Clements' defense team has questioned the accuracy of the cell phone tracking.
Defense lawyers have also attacked the prosecution’s discovery of a locked folder on Clements' iPad that showed a collection of little girls in provocative poses. Prosecutors said that showed Clements had a fixation on young girls. Clements' main defense attorney told jurors bringing the photos into the case was character assassination, and an effort to paint Clements as a creep.
Prosecution witnesses also said they discovered evidence on Clements' electronic devices that after Isabel Celis disappeared, Clements searched the internet for information on “body found in desert," “trace evidence on body," and “Isabel Celis sexy."
Final jury selection begins Tuesday, followed by opening statements and testimony. The trial is expected to last four weeks.
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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.
