Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, who earlier this month pleaded guilty to killing 8-year-old Madyson Middleton nearly six years ago, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday as a case that reverberated well beyond Santa Cruz and stalled for years could finally draw to a close.
Opponents of the law, Senate Bill , plan to protest it in front of the Santa Cruz courthouse while the legal proceedings play out inside. For Gonzalez, who is 21 now but was 15 when he killed Maddy, that law β and a ruling issued by the California Supreme Court earlier this year upholding its constitutionality β means he could walk free at age His prosecution had dragged on for years over the question of whether he should be tried as a juvenile or adult.
Latest News. Rosell said earlier this month. Prosecutors had sought to try Gonzalez as an adult for the murder. Shortly after being arrested, he admitted to police that he lured Maddy into an apartment at the Tannery Arts Center β a residential hub of the Santa Cruz arts scene where Maddy lived with her mom β before sexually assaulting and killing her there on July 25, If he had been tried as an adult, Gonzalez would have faced life in prison if convicted.
Once sentenced as a juvenile, Gonzalez must be released at age 25 unless the Department of Juvenile Justice determines he continues to present a serious threat to public safety. The DJJ could then request that a judge extend his sentence by two-year increments. But the DJJ is set to be dissolved in , casting added doubt on how that process would work.
He fell through the safety net cracks and never received any treatment until his arrest in this case. He was suicidal at the time of this crime. Planning a return to the office? Time to rethink your commute. He took a class online from Cabrillo. Yes, he needs time and treatment, but he is salvageable. But some who have been watching the case play out over the years β dating back to when Maddy first went missing β fear Gonzalez still presents a danger to others. Can that be taught?
