Trials rescheduled for man accused of killing 2 Tucson girls

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The scheduled trials of a man accused of kidnapping and killing two young Tucson girls have been postponed again.

Christopher Clements is facing 22 felony charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, in the deaths of 6-year-old Isabel Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzales.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that Clements now will face trial in the Gonzales case starting Sept. 8 and the Celis case starting Feb. 2, 2023.

The 40-year-old Clements is accused of kidnapping the girls separately before dumping their bodies in the Pima County desert.

Prosecutors said Celis vanished from her parents’ east-side Tucson home in April 2012 while Gonzales disappeared while walking to a friend’s house in 2014.

Gonzales’ body was found days after she disappeared while Isabel’s remains were not recovered until Clements led federal agents to them in March 2017, according to authorities.

Clements’ trials have been rescheduled at least four times.

A Pima County Superior Court judge confirmed new trial dates Tuesday after Clements’ lead attorney asked for time to recover from an undisclosed medical issue.

Clements already is serving a prison sentence of up to 35 years for Maricopa County burglary in 2017.