Quick Take
Juvenile justice workers told a Santa Cruz jury Monday that Adrian Gonzalez has been "respectful and engaged" in treatment while in custody for the rape and murder of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton in 2015. But one official questioned whether Gonzalez’s rehabilitation progress reflects "authentic" reform.
Juvenile justice system workers told the trial for Adrian Gonzalez’s release that he showed no major behavioral problems during his incarceration but faced questions about the “authenticity” of his progression through rehabilitation.
Daniel Flamson, a division director in Sonoma County’s probation department, testified Monday in Santa Cruz County Superior Court that he sees Gonzalez on a near-daily basis. He described Gonzalez as a generally well-behaved inmate who maintained “pleasant” daily interactions with staff.
“When I meet with him, he gets along well with the peers in his unit, and I don’t think we’ve had an incident report concerning Adrian for any kind of behavioral issue,” Flamson told the jury trial. He added that Gonzalez occasionally got into the personal space of professionals but has worked on being aware of that.
However, under questioning from Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Tara George, Flamson acknowledged there were ongoing concerns about “authenticity versus compliance” in Gonzalez’s treatment program, including that his group counselor reported that he “needed to work more in therapy and in groups to be more authentic versus providing the right answer.” Flamson, who oversees programming for juvenile hall, noted that Gonzalez is someone “who has intellectual insight, but needs to build his emotional connection as well.”
Gonzalez was convicted of raping and murdering 8-year-old Madyson Middleton in 2021. The trial will determine whether Gonzalez should be released from custody or remain incarcerated for another two years. He was first set for release in October as he turned 25 and aged out of the juvenile justice system, but the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office challenged the release, leading to the current trial.
Gonzalez’s attorney, Charlie Stevens, asked Flamson if Gonzalez’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis could explain some of his awkward behavior, but Flamson said that was outside of his expertise.
Flamson said Gonzalez has occasionally voiced his frustrations with some of the treatment programs within the facility, but was largely concerned with his legal proceedings and having contact with his lawyer. However, Flamson said that whenever Gonzalez had issues or concerns with his new situation, he was “well-prepared for the conversations,” including writing down lists of things he wanted to talk about with the facility’s staff.
Jennifer Martinez, assistant division director of Santa Cruz County’s probation department, told the court that Gonzalez’s “individualized rehabilitation plan” addressed issues like self-regulation and anger management, but it didn’t include treatment for violent behavior because Gonzalez had not displayed violent behavior while in custody following the crime. She added that violent behavior would be addressed as part of Gonzalez’s sex offender treatment.
Corrin Messing, a prevention specialist with Sonoma County-based sexual assault center Verity, testified via Zoom that Gonzalez is “very present, very respectful and engaged” while they work together. Messing works on mandatory prevention education programs within Sonoma County’s juvenile hall.
Martinez, who is also the assistant director of juvenile hall, testified that a number of legal changes had led to Gonzalez’s case being classified as a juvenile case, despite the fact that prosecutors initially tried to try him as an adult, even though he was 15 at the time of the crime. Along with Senate Bill 1391, which barred the prosecution of people under the age of 16 as adults, state Proposition 57 created a process that required a court hearing to determine whether juvenile cases would be transferred to adult court.
Martinez added that Senate Bill 823 closed the Division of Juvenile Justice and transferred its functions to the counties. In Gonzalez’s case, that ended up being Sonoma County Juvenile Hall, where he has been incarcerated since 2023. Santa Cruz County had no secure youth treatment facility at the time and had contracted with Sonoma County.
The trial is set to continue Tuesday at 10 a.m.
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