A 15-year-old male has been charged in the murder of an 8-year-old girl in Santa Cruz, California. The Asian Journal learned the teen, Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, is Filipino.
Gonzalez faces one count of murder with the special circumstance that he allegedly kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and tied up Madyson “Maddy” Middleton before killing her, according to Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell. Gonzalez is also accused of lying in wait.
The teen has also been charged with one count of kidnapping and four other sexual assault-related offenses, according to Rosell. If convicted of the charges, Gonzalez may face life in prison. Because of his age, he is not eligible for the death penalty.
“We have charged this individual as an adult with the crimes for which he is responsible,” he said. “We are going to bring him to justice.”
At his first court appearance on Thursday, July 30, the 15-year-old did not enter a plea. His arraignment was postponed until Sept. 21, most likely to give the defense more time to build a case, said Santa Cruz District Attorney spokesman Paul Mangasarian.
Gonzalez’s lawyer Larry Biggam told reporters on Thursday, “Our job is to review the evidence, conduct our own investigation, and make sure that the minor—like every citizen accused—receives a fair trial.”
Maddy was last seen around 5:05pm on Sunday, July 26 riding her white Razor scooter in the Tannery Arts Center on River Street, a public-private nonprofit artists colony in Santa Cruz where both she and Gonzalez lived. Her disappearance prompted a frantic overnight search, and FBI investigators went door-to-door looking for clues. The massive search involved volunteers from neighbors, to officials, to relatives and friends.
Around 250 people live in the Tannery Arts Center complex, including about 50 children.
At 7:55pm on Monday, July 27, a little more than 24 hours after she disappeared, a police detective discovered Maddy’s body—4 feet tall, 46 pounds—lying at the bottom of the recycling bin, which had already been searched once by volunteers.
Investigators reportedly saw Gonzalez standing near the bin, causing automatic suspicion. Police believe he was watching them as they searched, and said they have evidence tying him directly to Maddy.
The boy was detained and later arrested on suspicion of homicide, and is being held in a juvenile detention facility.
Residents at the eight-acre complex were “stunned” to learn their neighbor was suspected in the killing.
“We’re just devastated. These are two of our kids, and one is dead and one has been taken away. And it’s horrible. It’s just horrible,” said resident Yasmina Porter, whose two children, ages 11 and 13, played with both the young victim and the suspect.
“From the community’s standpoint, we mostly feel like these are our babies,” Porter said. “This is the most horrible thing you can imagine.”
Santa Cruz police Chief Kevin Vogel said Gonzalez lured Maddy to his family’s upstairs apartment, where they were alone, and killed her. He then reportedly carried her body downstairs to a garage and hid it in the recycling bin. Police officials believe Maddy willingly went to Gonzalez’s apartment because she knew and trusted him.
“She was 8 years old. She had a reasonable amount of trust in him,” Vogel said. “They were acquaintances. I don’t know to what degree they were friends.”
“It is my belief that [Maddy] was killed even before we got the phone call Sunday at about 6pm, when she was first reported missing,” he added.
Gonzalez is being tried as an adult on the counts of murder, kidnapping, and rape. In their decision to determine charges, prosecutors looked at the Filipino teen’s age, his criminal record, the nature of the crime and how the offense was committed, Rosell said.
Rosell declined to say how Maddy was killed, nor whether Gonzalez had a criminal history.
“At this point, there is no plea deal on anything,” the prosecutor told reporters, and revealed no known motive for the murder. Authorities have interviewed the boy, but did not disclose any information.
“People do things for lots of different reasons,” Rosell said. “Sometimes we understand them, sometimes we don’t.”
Gonzalez was described as a well-liked, quiet and polite young man and a “yo-yo expert.” According to a former classmate, Gonzalez’s father was absent and his mother is from Romblon, an island in the Luzon region of the Philippines.
“He would say that a smile is the best disguise, just things that sounded weird, like something’s wrong, but I didn’t know what I could do to help him,” the anonymous classmate told Balitang America, also noting that Gonzalez was “suicidal” at an early age.
The New York Times reported Gonzalez’ Filipina mother, who has been raising him alone, is a home health care attendant, and she left the apartment building soon after her son was taken in custody, according to neighbors. Most of her family still lives in the Philippines, several residents said.
Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane, who ordered flags to be flown at half-staff, said the city’s reaction is “mixed, somber, and wrenching.”
Both Gonzalez and Maddy were well-known at their schools. Maddy would have been a fourth grader and Gonzalez, a high school sophomore.
Makeshift memorials and handwritten signs appeared on various storefronts around the city, reading “We love you Maddy.” A Tannery neighborhood memorial for Maddy in the arts center shows a growing number of flowers, artwork, and stuffed animals.
“These children are out like little butterflies,” said Denise Kiser Shaw, another neighbor. “It’s a contained area…you stay here in the courtyard and you ride around and you wait for your friend.”
On Tuesday, July 28, Shaw sat in that same courtyard, working on a doll for Maddy’s mom. The doll had wings and wore a purple dress, just like what Maddy had been wearing, with the words “I can fly home. (With reports from the Los Angeles Times, Inquirer, CNN, Associated Press, KTLA5, Balitang America, The New York Times)
