Local attorney weighs in on murder case against 15-year-old in Santa Cruz County

One of the big legal questions as the investigation continues, are the charges filed against the boy arrested in the killing of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton.

On Wednesday, Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeff Rosell announced his office reviewed many reports from investigators and has decided to try the 15-year-old as an adult for charges including murder, sexual assault and kidnapping.

Because the DA released the boy’s name, we will share it with our viewers. Normally, we would not reveal a juvenile’s name. But because he is being tried as an adult, we will tell you his name is Adrian Jerry Gonzalazz.

On Tuesday, Rosell explained what he knew about the case so far.

“Based on the information that we know at this point there do appear to be charges that can be filed as an adult and we are absolutely considering that,” Rosell said.

On Tuesday, we also spoke with a well-known local defense attorney about the decision. Thomas Worthington has practiced law for 45 years. While he is not part of the legal team representing the 15-year-old, his experience gives us some background on how the Santa Cruz County DA is moving ahead with the case.

Worthington said prosecutors will look at his background: Has he been in trouble before? Does he have a criminal past? The D.A.’s office will interview people from his past, including teachers, neighbors and anyone who remembers him because they want to know everything about him.

Worthington said another factor could be any relationships between the suspect’s family and the victim’s family. They’ll also look into his mental health.

Worthington said prosecutors cannot overlook the circumstances surrounding the case or the suspect’s age because he is 15.

“Obviously the closer you get to age 18, the more you should be held responsible and held accountable for your actions.” Worthington said. “The younger you are, obviously there still has to be accountability. But you still have to give consideration to a very young boy who may be very immature is going to be treated very differently from a boy who is 18 years old or an actual adult.”

There’s a big difference between juvenile and adult court systems. In an adult case, 12 jurors decide someone’s fate and it’s oriented toward punishment. In a case involving a juvenile, a judge makes that decision with the ultimate goal of rehabilitation.

“If the district attorney does he job right,” Worthington explained, “And I have every reason to believe that he will, he’ll proceed with great patience and great caution to make sure justice is achieved for both sides. Of course he has to move the case forward as quickly as he possibly can but when it’s a juvenile that’s their suspect, they really need to know who they are looking at, not just what happened.”