BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — She didn't know him. She had never seen him before or heard his name. He was a stranger, and now, he's on trial for killing her daughter.
Sheri Smith took the stand Tuesday testifying in the trial of Jose William Lara, the man charged with killing Smith's daughter Desiree Thompson in 2012.
On the stand, Smith said that up until last year she believed that Thompson's husband Edward Gibson was responsible for her daughter's death. According to Smith, the couple had a history of domestic violence incidents, including on the night Thompson disappeared.
Smith testified that her daughter called her that night, on Jan. 7, 2012, saying Gibson had kicked in their door and threatened her with a gun. Thompson was able to barricade herself inside and call police, but Gibson fled.
Later that evening, Thompson would tell her mother she was at an acquaintances house and would call her when she returned home. That call, though, never came.
The prosecution arguing Tuesday that Smith's unending quest for answers helped lead investigators to her killer.
Each year on the anniversary of her disappearance, Smith would post to social media about Thompson. She would reach out to news media, ensuring her daughter's name was not forgotten. Eventually, according to court documents, this would spark a memory for a key witness in this case.
Ten years after Thompson's disappearance, a man would contact police saying he remembers Lara talking in detail about how he killed a woman on Jan. 7, 2012. The informant would tell investigators that Lara claimed he buried her in the backyard of the home he was renting at the time in Cal City.
According to the informant, Lara told him he had gone to a party that night where he was assaulted by three individuals and told to leave. Lara said he waited in his truck outside before following an individual, whom he believed was one of his assailants.
It was not, according to documents.
The informant said Lara told him he pulled up to the individual; a woman. He said it didn't matter to him because he was still very angry and wanted revenge, it didn't matter on who, the documents said.
This tip eventually led investigators to search that Cal City residence where Lara allegedly buried Thompson's remains.
Smith said after this tip, she was able to give her daughter a proper burial ten years later.
