Adrian Gonzalez’s trial for release picked back up Tuesday morning after a monthlong hiatus. A retired investigator with the law firm Santa Cruz County contracted with for public defense spoke at length about Gonzalez’s social history and his rocky childhood before his 2015 rape and murder of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton.
Madyson Middleton murder
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Justice workers praise Adrian Gonzalez’s treatment progress as release trial enters monthlong pause
Mental health workers testified for the defense Thursday about Adrian Gonzalez’s rehabilitation progress in custody, nearly a decade after he murdered Santa Cruz 8-year-old Maddy Middleton, as his release trial begins a monthlong recess.
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Adrian Gonzalez showed ‘psychopathic traits,’ remains a danger to community, forensic psychologist testifies
Psychologist Susan Napolitano told a Santa Cruz jury Monday that Adrian Gonzalez, who murdered 8-year-old Maddy Middleton when he was 15, showed sophisticated criminal planning, sexual sadism and psychopathic traits and could remain a danger to the community if he is released.
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Official questions Adrian Gonzalez’s ‘authentic’ reform despite good behavior in custody
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.
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Court views video of Gonzalez’s confession as his trial for release resumes
Adrian Gonzalez’s trial for release continued Monday with a video from the Santa Cruz Police Department showing Gonzalez confessing to killing 8-year-old Madyson Middleton to police just two days after Middleton was reported missing in 2015. The trial will continue on Tuesday.
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Jury trial for Adrian Gonzalez’s release begins
The trial to determine Adrian Gonzalez’s freedom began Thursday afternoon after three days of jury selection. Attorneys gave their opening statements as they prepare for a multiweek trial that will stretch until at least the end of the year.
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Jury selection starts — again — in trial over release of Madyson Middleton’s killer, Adrian Gonzalez
The jury trial to determine the release of Adrian Gonzalez, Madyson Middleton’s killer, is finally moving forward after a significant delay. Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy sent the issue of his release to a jury trial in early August, after a probable-cause hearing that spanned the better part of July.
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Adrian Gonzalez’s trial delayed; new counsel to be appointed
Adrian Gonzalez’s trial has been delayed into September as new counsel is set to be appointed, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge announced Monday. Jury selection in the case, which began last week, will have to start over from scratch. The trial will decide whether Gonzalez, who was convicted of the 2015 rape and murder of Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, will be released from state custody when he ages out of California’s juvenile justice system on his 25th birthday in October.
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As Adrian Gonzalez’s release goes before a jury, attorneys question whether he can get a fair trial
Jury selection began this week for Adrian Gonzalez’s upcoming trial as he seeks release upon aging out of the state’s juvenile justice system this fall, nine years after raping and murdering 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton. While Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy denied a request for a venue change last week, the harrowing details of the case remain a focal point for the community. Given that, can Gonzalez get a fair trial? Longtime defense attorneys aren’t so sure.
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Judge denies request to move Adrian Gonzalez release trial out of Santa Cruz
Judge Denine Guy on Thursday denied a request for a change of venue for a jury trial that will decide whether to release Adrian “AJ” Gonzalez, who raped and murdered 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton nine years ago, when he is set to age out of the California juvenile justice system on his 25th birthday in October.