Quick Take
Adrian Gonzalez testified in a Santa Cruz courtroom Thursday about killing 8-year-old Madyson Middleton in 2015 when he was 15, detailing how he lured her with ice cream before attacking and murdering her.
Adrian Gonzalez retook the stand Thursday in the trial for his release, where he recounted the details of his decision to rape and murder 8-year-old neighbor Madyson Middleton in 2015 and hide her body in a dumpster, but did not address why he committed the crime.
As Gonzalez walked the Santa Cruz courtroom through the events of the crime, Middleton’s mother, Laura Jordan, quietly cried in the front row. Prosecutor and deputy chief district attorney Tara George turned around and mouthed, “Are you OK?” to Jordan, who nodded.
Gonzalez said that prior to July 26, 2015 — the day he committed the crime — Middleton had been to his Tannery Arts Center complex apartment before, but only with her mother. He added that Jordan and Gonzalez’s mother, Reggie Factor, knew each other and were friendly. That day, Factor brought home groceries, including the ice cream he eventually offered to Middleton, and then left for work. Gonzalez said he approached Middleton shortly after.
“I decided for myself that I wanted to talk to Madyson, get her to the apartment, and have sex with her,” he said, adding that he had only made the decision to do so that day.
Gonzalez, who was 15 at the time, said he did not force Middleton to come to his apartment. When his attorney, Charlie Stevens, asked him if he thought the 8-year-old would agree to having sex with him, Gonzalez said he did not.
Gonzalez said that as he took the ice cream out of the freezer for Middleton to serve herself, he quickly duct-taped her mouth and carried her to his room. He said that she was screaming, resisting and tried to fight back when he put her onto his bed. He began to choke her soon after. While past testimony has referred to the fact that Gonzalez choked Middleton for 15 to 30 minutes, he said on Thursday that he cannot remember how long it lasted.
As Gonzalez, now 25, continued to walk the jury through the gruesome details of the crime, he paused for a bit longer between each answer and spoke somewhat more quietly than he did previously. He continued to turn slightly toward the jury as he spoke. He did not show any obvious emotion.
Gonzalez said that he ultimately could not have sexual intercourse with Middleton, as he could not stay aroused “because she was still a kid.” He eventually decided to kill Middleton.
“I wanted to hide what I had done to her,” he said, adding that he wasn’t considering whether murdering her would be worse than what he had already done. “I wasn’t really thinking, I was just reacting.”
After stabbing Middleton and hiding her body in a Tannery Arts Center dumpster, Gonzalez said he cleaned up his apartment and walked over to his friend Hugh’s apartment with a birthday gift. They then walked to Chipotle together. On their way back, he said, they saw people already looking for Middleton.
“I was starting to worry and starting to panic a little bit, but on the outside, I was really trying to just not react to it,” said Gonzalez. He added that he got involved in the search and cooperated with police to try to blend in and to not bring suspicion on himself. He admitted that he was trying to get away with the crime, but said he wasn’t thinking much about whether or not he actually would. “I wasn’t really thinking about jail or prison or any specific consequences.”
Gonzalez said that while he has seen photos of himself with missing persons posters after committing the crime, he does not have a specific memory of it. When he was arrested on July 27, 2015, reality began to set in.
“I just felt shocked, and felt that everything I had done was catching up to me,” he said, but conceded that he still thought he might be able to get away with it. However, that changed during his interview with police. “I realized I wasn’t going to be able to go back, that I was caught, and there was no getting out of it.”
Since that day in 2015, Gonzalez has remained incarcerated. He was with the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) until its closure in 2023, where he participated in sex offender treatment. That included seven phases — the first involving a look at his life from his childhood and trauma to his crime, and taking a closer look at the factors that might have influenced it. The second phase, Gonzalez said, is about taking accountability and responsibility for the crimes one committed.
Phase 3 involves processing the impact of one’s crimes on the victims. During that phase, he said he wrote letters to himself from Middleton’s and Jordan’s perspective, along with apology letters to Middleton and Jordan. The author would then present them to other inmates in a group in a group therapy session.
“I remember apologizing for all of my actions separately, talking about how it impacted Laura [Jordan], how her life is now because of them, and taking ownership of all my actions,” he said.
Gonzalez was moved to Sonoma County Juvenile Hall in 2023, following the passage of Senate Bill 823, which transferred the DJJ’s duties to the counties. He once again began sex offender treatment, which he completed in 2024. He said he owes Middleton’s family $20,000 in restitution, which he said he will pay once released.
Gonzalez is set to return to the stand Friday.
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