Jury decides man who killed 8-year-old Maddy Middleton should remain in prison
A 25-year-old man convicted of killing his 8-year-old neighbor when he was 15 years old will remain behind bars for at least two more years, a Santa Cruz jury has decided.
Adrian Jerry Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Madyson "Maddy" Middleton in the summer of 2015. Gonzalez was originally charged as an adult, but before his case went to trial, California passed a law that bars the state from prosecuting 14- and 15-year-olds as adults.
Under Senate Bill 1391, Gonzalez would have been eligible to be released from prison when he turned 25, which happened last year.
On Wednesday, a jury decided that Gonzalez should remain in custody, according to San Francisco Bay Area news station KTVU-TV. Prosecutors argued that due to the violent nature of Gonzalez's crime, he posed a risk to the community and should remain in custody.
The jury began deliberating Monday after several weeks of testimony and evidence presentation in the case. Gonzalez took the stand during the trial and KTVU reported that he described killing his neighbor.
'This was an incredibly difficult case from 2015 and the impact that it has had on the community and we are still feeling the rippling effects of it almost 10 years later,' prosecuting attorney Tara George told the Santa Cruz Sentinel after the verdict was read. 'The work and effort that was put in by everyone involved in our community to keep all of us safe was a tireless effort on behalf of our jurors and so we thank them for their service.'
Maddy lived in an affordable housing complex for artists with her mother and was last seen on the evening of July 26, 2015, riding her scooter. Prosecutors described in court documents how Gonzalez lured the girl to his apartment with the promise of ice cream, then raped and killed her.
Her body was discovered in the apartment complex's recycling bin nearly 24 hours after she was reported missing. Gonzalez was reportedly seen watching detectives search through the bin and he was arrested the following day, police told The Times in 2015.
Gonzalez was set to be tried as an adult when Senate Bill 1391 went into effect.
A Santa Cruz Superior Court judge sought to transfer the case out of the juvenile court system, arguing that the law was unconstitutional, but the California State Supreme Court upheld the law in 2021.
Shortly afterward, Gonzalez's case was sent back to juvenile court and he pleaded guilty to all the charges, including murder with special circumstances, one count of kidnapping and four sexual assault-related offenses.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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