Prosecution and defense painted sharply varying pictures of Adrian “A.J.”Gonzalez in closing arguments in Superior Court Tuesday, and a jury will now determine whether the 25-year-old can be released after serving his sentence for the 2015 murder of 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton.
Prosecutor Tara George argued that Gonzalez, with a history of lying, deception and a range of psychological disorders, is dangerous and a risk to society and should not be released from custody.
In front of an eight man, four women jury, defense attorney Charlie Stevens, in a soft-spoken and calm manner, claimed that Gonzalez is a changed person from the teenager he was at the time of the crime and that he has made significant strides with mental health issues that the prosecution claims set the stage for the grisly crime that stunned the region.
If the court ends up ruling that Gonzalez has not been rehabilitated he will stay in custody for two years, followed by a possibility of parole.
If the jury finds he has made the proper changes and improvements with counseling and classes in jail, he will soon be freed.
George referenced neuro-developmental issues in Gonzalez, based on doctors’ testimony.
“They live in their own mind, in their own experiences—they are self-contained within themselves,” George said. “With Adrian Gonzalez, it makes him dangerous.” She emphasized Gonzalez’s “lack of empathy and remorse.”
She also highlighted aspects about Gonzalez to the jury including manipulation of others, self centeredness, attention seeking and callousness.
“He was living out a sexual fantasy that involved the suffering of others,” she said.
The murder happened on July 25, 2015, in Tannery Artist Lofts in Santa Cruz where Maddy and Gonzalez lived, when Gonzalez lured the her to his apartment, attacked her from behind, bound her with duct tape and choked her into unconsciousness before raping her and then stabbing her in the neck when he realized she wasn’t dead yet.
Stevens stressed that most people are still in a development stage up to the age of 25, and that Gonzalez was not up to some “mastermind plan” to commit murder.
“This wasn’t a planned out event—it was a spontaneous event,” Stevens said. “He did about the stupidest thing he could have; this is not a mastermind.”
Stevens pointed out that the tools he used in the murder—a common kitchen knife, a roll of duct tape, household scissors, a trash can bag and a towel—were simply commonplace items that did not aim toward a deeply thought out scheme.
“He didn’t think through this,” Stevens said. “If he did, he wouldn’t have put her body in the same bin used by everyone.”
A Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge ruled August 2024 that there is enough evidence that Gonzalez, who was tried and convicted as a juvenile, would pose a continued danger to the public if he was released.
He was sentenced in April 2021.
But a state law passed in 2019—Senate Bill 1391—prohibits anyone 15 or younger from being prosecuted as adults, regardless of the crime. Because Gonzalez was 15 when the crime occurred, he was eligible to be released when he turned 25.
“It comes down to, is there reasonable doubt that Adrian Gonzalez is a danger?” Stevens asked the jury. He said Gonzalez has a willingness to change, and that he has begun to find coping mechanisms as a result of therapy which has helped him “get out of depression.”
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