Infamous Santa Cruz serial killer denied parole
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A serial killer who murdered 13 people nearly five decades ago—most of them in Santa Cruz County—was denied parole Thursday during a virtual hearing.
Herbert Mullin, 74, will not be eligible for parole for another seven years. He is in custody at Mule...
Maddy Middleton’s killer sentenced, could walk free in 2024
SANTA CRUZ—The man who was 15 when he kidnapped, raped and murdered 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton and then dumped her body in a recycling bin was sentenced Tuesday to juvenile prison until he turns 25 in October 2024.
Adrian “A.J.” Gonzalez, now 21, must also...
Watsonville man killed in crash on Amesti Road identified
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville man who died early Friday morning in a solo-vehicle crash on Amesti Road has been identified as Andres Garcia Vidal.
California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said Vidal, 33, was driving a blue 1998 Volkswagen Beetle eastbound on Amesti Road east of Cypress...
Two dead, two injured in Pajaro shooting
UPDATE: Suspect turns himself in to Watsonville Police Department.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Two people were killed and two were injured in a shooting at a Pajaro bar early Tuesday morning.
According to Monterey County Undersheriff Keith Boyd, deputies responded to El Torero Bar at 540 Salinas Road just...
Photo: Two dead, 7 injured in Hwy 129 crash
Emergency officials deal with a two-vehicle crash on Highway 1 at Old Chittenden Road Wednesday afternoon that killed two people.
California Highway Patrol officer Stephen Armfield said the male driver of a 2008 Honda Ridgeline pickup was traveling east on Hwy 129 with two other...
Man killed in Watsonville crash
WATSONVILLE—A 20-year-old Salinas man died in a head-on crash on the Riverside Drive Highway 1 overcrossing in Watsonville on Nov. 20. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn identified the victim as Cesar Romero.
Sam Courtney of the California Highway Patrol said Romero was driving...
Pedestrian killed in rollover crash on Freedom Boulevard
CORRALITOS—The 25-year-old woman who died Tuesday after an SUV struck her on the 4800 block of Freedom Boulevard has been identified as Stephanie Bell of Aptos, according to Ashley Keehn of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.
California Highway Patrol officer Alyssa Gutierrez said a...
Remembering Loma Prieta: Quake left Watsonville in ruin, united residents
WATSONVILLE—When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck at 5:04 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989, Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Willy Elliott-McCrea was in Watsonville, talking about disaster preparation.
It was a strange bit of irony, and it took the presence of then-Watsonville Fire Chief Gary Smith...
Kmart in Watsonville closing doors in August
WATSONVILLE—The Kmart store at 1702 Freedom Blvd. in Watsonville will permanently close its doors on Aug. 22, the company announced through a publicity agency on Tuesday.
The store will begin to wrap up business beginning Thursday.
The announcement did not contain any further information. Transformco, the...
Prep Athletes of the Week: Watsonville’s Abraham Martinez; St. Francis’ Lilianna...
The Pajaronian’s Prep Athletes of the Week were selected based on their performances during the week of Aug. 25-31. Coaches and athletic directors are...
