A jury will decide whether Adrian Gonzalez will be released this fall upon aging out of California’s juvenile justice system, after a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that prosecutors had shown probable cause for a trial over their argument that he still poses a danger to the public. Gonzalez, 24, has been held as a juvenile since raping and murdering his 8-year-old neighbor, Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, when he was 15 years old.
Madyson Middleton murder
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Adrian Gonzalez release could be ordered Tuesday, 9 years after murder of Madyson Middleton
On Tuesday, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge will decide whether Adrian Gonzalez, convicted as a juvenile for the 2015 murder of Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, will be released before his 25th birthday in October or head to a jury trial to determine his next steps. Here are the possible scenarios.
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Judge set to rule Tuesday on Maddy Middleton killer Adrian Gonzalez’s release after four-day hearing
The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s office argued on Tuesday that Adrian Gonzalez, who raped and murdered his 8-year-old neighbor when he was 15, should continue to be held beyond his 25th birthday, when people convicted of serious crimes as children are supposed to age out of the juvenile justice system. After four days of testimony from mental health professionals and rehabilitation program workers, Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Denine Guy will rule next Tuesday whether Gonzalez will be released or if a jury trial will determine whether he remains incarcerated.
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Madyson Middleton killer Adrian Gonzalez a ‘moderate’ risk of sexually reoffending, psychologist testifies
More witnesses took the stand in Adrian Gonzalez’s probable cause hearing Monday, when one psychologist said he is of “moderate” risk of sexually reoffending, but added that he did not exhibit signs of sexual sadism, necrophilia or pedophilia. The hearing will continue next Tuesday, July 30.
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Court weighs release of Madyson Middleton’s killer, Adrian Gonzalez
Convicted in 2021 of the kidnapping, rape and murder of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton, Adrian Gonzalez returns to a Santa Cruz court this week for a hearing to help determine whether he remains a danger to society or if he can be released from prison later this year. The hearing continues Monday.
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In their own words: Maddy Middleton’s family, community members sound off on Adrian Gonzalez’s sentence
Inside court and out, people had strong reactions to Gonzalez’s sentence. Here’s a look at what they said.
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‘You stole my joy’: Maddy Middleton’s mom, others decry sentence that sets up girl’s killer for release at 25
ADRIAN GONZALEZ SENTENCED: A crowd gathered outside the Santa Cruz County courthouse Tuesday as Adrian Gonzalez was sentenced in the murder of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton. People were protesting a state law that limited Gonzalez’s sentence to three-and-a-half more years because he was a juvenile when he committed the crime.
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Protest planned outside courthouse as Gonzalez set for juvenile sentencing in Maddy Middleton murder
ADRIAN GONZALEZ SENTENCED: A crowd gathered outside the Santa Cruz County courthouse Tuesday as Adrian Gonzalez was…