Santa Cruz teen accused of raping and killing 8-year-old girl heads to court

The 15-year-old, accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Madyson Middleton on Sunday, has made his first appearance in court.

On Wednesday, Adrian Gonzalez, was named as the boy accused of her murder by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office. We are choosing to release his name because prosecutors will be trying him as an adult and because the office released his name to the public. A conviction could mean life behind bars.

“Life without the possibility of parole is not something that you can seek for a juvenile,” Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeff Rosell said.

Gonzalez appeared in Santa Cruz County Superior Court for arraignment Thursday morning. Gonzalez is being represented by public defender Larry Biggam who requested his arraignment be delayed. The judge granted that request and Gonzalez will be back in court September 21. He said he wants to start working on the case once he gets police reports from law enforcement.

“Our job is review the evidence,” Biggam said. “Conduct our own investigation and make sure the minor, like every citizen accused, receives a fair trial.”

Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeff Rosell said he’s not concerned the jury pool is biased.

“The bottom line is we have fair jurors in this county,” Rosell said. “We are ready to proceed and we are in a position to go forward in a moment’s notice on this case and we are confident the jurors of Santa Cruz to fairly hear this.”