News

Watsonville man mentally fit to stand trial over murder charge

By Sergio Berrueta

January 9, 2025 6:36 PM

Published January 9, 2025 4:33 PM

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) -- 25-year-old Joshua Gonzalez-Martinez was found mentally fit to stand trial for multiple charges including murder Thursday morning.

Gonzalez-Martinez pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including murder, on August 28.

Gonzalez-Martinez had shown up to the Watsonville Police Department station on the night of August 3 threatening to harm his stepdaughter with a knife. He was then shot at after running into an officer before being arrested. Bodycam footage of the incident was released showing the events unfold.

The body of Gonzalez-Matinez's partner, Lizbeth Sedano, was discovered the next morning was located in Santa Cruz near Eureka Canyon and Grizzly Flat Roads. She had multiple stab wounds to her torso and was reported missing before her body was found.

The preliminary hearing for Gonzalez-Martinez will be held on January 21 at 9 a.m.

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WATSONVILLE

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Sergio Berrueta

Sergio Berrueta has been in the news for quite awhile going from studying print media to entering the realm of broadcast.

Originally from Bell Gardens, California, in Southeast Los Angeles. Berrueta started his professional news career in Eureka as a newscast producer for North Coast News (now The Northstate’s News) at KAEF ABC 23 in 2022. He pivoted a year later in 2022 going from behind-the-scenes to in front of the camera as a multimedia journalist for Redwood News Channel 3 (KIEM/KVIQ) also in Eureka.

Berrueta studied journalism at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) earning his Bachelor’s Degree. Berrueta was a staff writer, page editor, social media manager and editor-in-chief of the university’s El Lenador, the only bilingual publication in all of Humboldt County.

Before moving to the North Coast, Berrueta had earned his Associate’s Degree at East Los Angeles College in 2019 after beginning his educational journey in 2012. He also was on staff for the ELAC’s publication, ELAC Campus News, having been a staff writer, page editor, and online editor.

Outside of news experience, Berrueta has also been in education as an AmeriCorps tutor in East Hollywood from 2017 to 2019 and served in a government role as a National Hometown Fellow for Lead for America with the City of Arcata in 2021.

When not focusing on news, Berrueta is an avid amateur cinephile having written about films in free time. He also writes poetry, attempting to get through a backlog of video games, enjoys visiting new places along the California Coast, and trying to keep up with the latest music and podcasts.

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