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Christopher Clements: Murder trial commences for suspect in tragic death of six-year-old Isabel Celis

Christopher Clements, 41, is reportedly facing felony charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping a minor under age 15, and second-degree burglary

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TUCSON, ARIZONA: Christopher Clements is now facing trial for the murder of Isabel Celis, who went missing from her parents' home in 2012, with court proceedings starting on Tuesday, February 14. The disappearance and search efforts for the young girl dominated national headlines and prompted widespread coverage.

Clements, 41, is reportedly facing felony charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping a minor under age 15 and second-degree burglary. The jury for the trial was selected on Thursday, February 9, and opening statements were scheduled for 10.30 am on Tuesday.

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Defense attorney, Mike Piccarreta, who is not involved in the case, told KGUN9 that potential jurors often do not have considerable knowledge even in widely-reported cases. He insisted that jurors must abide by the judge's order to consider only what they hear in court and try not to do their own research on the case. “I was on a jury once that you really feel the weight and responsibility of trying to be fair, most people," Piccarreta said, adding, "So, you know, I think people do try to do the best they can. And almost always they come up with a result that's not unreasonable.” It's worth noting that Clements is already convicted in the kidnapping and murder of 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez and was sentenced to life without parole in that case. The youngster's remains were found in a remote part of Pima County, reportedly very near where Isabel Celis' remains were found

Celis went missing from her parents' Tucson home in April 2012, while Gonzalez disappeared while walking to a friend's house in June 2014. A few days after Celis went missing, her parents went on the 'Today Show' and pleaded for her safe return. "Very caring, very loving little girl loves to give mom and dad hugs all the time," her mother, Becky, told the public, adding, "Tell us we love her or that she loves us, beautiful baby girl."

Detectives worked day and night as Tucson police were inundated with thousands of tips and leads. The case, however, seemed to fade into the background. On March 31, 2017, authorities announced they had found Celis' remains in a remote area of Pima County. It was Clements who led detectives to the remains as he was trying to cut a deal on an unrelated criminal case. The suspect reportedly told investigators he had nothing to do with the six-year-old's disappearance and death despite knowing the body's exact location.

Gonzalez was last seen walking from her home to a friend's place on June 3, 2014. Her body was reportedly discovered about 30 miles from her home, unclothed and placed under tires in a deserted area near West Avra Valley Road and Trico Road. According to Clements' mobile phone location data, he drove to the spot where Gonzalez was crossing the street when she was kidnapped, per The Arizona Republic.

Prosecutors reportedly provided proof that Clements was listening to police radio stations and used his phone to search the internet for "Maribel Victoria Gonzalez, murdered children, trace evidence found on a body, and body in the desert." He reportedly had "thousands of photos" of young girls with little to no clothing on on his iPad, according to KOLD-TV. Arizona authorities reportedly failed to recognize a potential connection between Gonzalez's and Celis' disappearances for years, according to Law&Crime.

Authorities claimed that a tip from the FBI helped them recognize the connection between the cases when Clements was initially charged in 2018. When he was 16, he entered a guilty plea to two charges of unlawful sexual penetration with a foreign object, which was when his criminal history began. Numerous claims of neglecting to register as a sex offender were also made. In 2009, he was sentenced to 46 months in jail and five years of supervised release. However, he was released after winning his appeal.