September 21 arraignment for accused Fil-Am teen killer

Philippine News

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September 21 arraignment for accused Fil-Am teen killer
At the time he was taken into custody, Adrian Jerry Gonzalez 'was actually standing near the location' of where the girl’s body was found, police say


CALIFORNIA, USA  – The case of a missing young girl ended in horror when her body was found in a recycling bin at the apartment community where she lived with her mother.

Now the murder case of her accused killer, 15-year-old Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, begins. Gonzalez, whose mother is Filipina, was arrested July 27,  immediately after police discovered the body of 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton at the bottom of a large bin on the ground floor of the Tannery Arts Center complex.

The girl had been reported missing the previous day and was seen on surveillance video riding her Razor scooter around the complex.

Law enforcement “worked tirelessly…to search for and locate Maddy. Unfortunately the search ended in the worst way imaginable,” the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Prosecutors have charged Gonzalez as an adult with murder, rape, and other sexual assault-related offenses. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Looking sullen in a green T-shirt and beige pants, Gonzalez showed up in court during arraignment July 30 but did not enter a plea. He is scheduled for further arraignment September 21.

District Attorney spokesman Paul Mangasarian declined further comment on the case. Gonzalez’s defense attorney, Larry Biggam, did not immediately return a call for comment.

At the time he was taken into custody, police said, Gonzalez “was actually standing near the location” of where the girl’s body was found.

“We have determined that Madyson was an acquaintance of the suspect by virtue of both residing at the Tannery Arts Center complex,” police said.

“Evidence suggests that Madyson was lured to the suspect’s apartment willingly. Additionally, we have determined that Madyson was murdered inside the suspect’s apartment and eventually carried downstairs to the recycle bin and concealed within the bin.”

Gonzalez allegedly coaxed the girl to his apartment with the promise of ice cream and tied her up, authorities said. He then allegedly beat, raped, and strangled her.

No official motive behind the slaying has been given, but a source familiar with the investigation told the San Francisco Chronicle that Gonzalez had been contemplating suicide and killed the girl to see how people would react.

The sinister portrayal of Gonzalez coming out of his criminal case is in stark contrast with neighbors’ description of him as a quiet boy who was skilled with the yo-yo, enjoyed skateboarding, and even served as a camp counselor at the Tannery complex, which provides affordable homes mostly to artists.

But some posts on his Instagram social-media account conveyed a dark undercurrent.

One post published on the day the girl’s body was found showed someone’s hands on the piano playing singer Gary Jules’ cover of the Tears for Fears song “Mad World” – a version that is part of the soundtrack of the 2001 science-fiction movie Donnie Darko, about a man who seeks the meaning behind his apocalyptic visions. A caption accompanying the post quotes a signature line in the tune: “The Dreams in which I’m Dying are the Best I’ve ever had.”

Gonzalez was born in Santa Cruz to a Filipina mother and a Mexican father. Those who know Gonzalez’s family described an upbringing beset by financial struggles, homelessness, and other challenges. The teen was heading into his sophomore year at Santa Cruz High School.

Maddy was described as an active, artistic, and vocal girl. She would have started fourth grade at DeLaveaga Elementary in Santa Cruz. – Rappler.com 

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