Santa Cruz

Suspect in Maddy Middleton murder likely to be tried as juvenile after state supreme court ruling

March 8, 2021 1:08 PM

Published March 8, 2021 12:02 PM

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) After a California Supreme Court ruling last week, the suspect in the murder of 8-year-old Maddy Middleton will likely be tried as an adult.

The suspect, 21-year-old Adrian "A.J." Gonzalez, will likely be going back into the juvenile justice system.

He was 15 years old when Middleton was found dead after being kidnapped and raped at a Santa Cruz apartment in 2015.

The ruling means that minors under the age of 16 cannot be tried as adults.

Article Topic Follows: Santa Cruz

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Elisha Machado

Elisha Machado is a weekend anchor and multi-media journalist at KION News Channel 5/46.

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