Murder of Madyson Middleton
Madyson Middleton | |
---|---|
![]() Madyson "Maddy" Middleton | |
Born | Mountain View, California, United States | October 5, 2006
Died | July 26, 2015 Santa Cruz, California, U.S. | (aged 8)
Cause of death | strangulation |
Body discovered | July 26, 2015 |
Madyson Middleton was an 8-year-old girl from Santa Cruz, California whose mother reported her missing from their Santa Cruz, California apartment on July 25, 2015. Middleton had been lured into another apartment where she was strangled to death and disposed of in a dumpster.[1] The suspect was charged two days later and was identified as 15-year-old Adrian Gonzalez after Middleton's body was found.[2]
Suspect[]
The suspect was identified as Adrian Gonzalez, who was 15 years old at the time and was charged with Middleton's murder. He confessed to duct-taping her mouth shut and sexually assaulting her before stabbing and strangling her to death. Gonzalez then dumped her body and watched the case closely, even asking random police officers questions about the crime.[3] He also had a unique obsession with Yo-yos and writing "suicidal" posts on Instagram.[4]
Trial[]
Adrian Gonzalez pleaded not guilty as trial began in November 2017 as there were some controversies to prosecute Gonzalez as an adult because he was only 15 when he committed the murder. 2016 California Proposition 57 law was passed in 2016 where the judge can decide if the accused can be prosecuted as an adult.[5]
See also[]
- List of kidnappings
- List of solved missing person cases
References[]
- ^ "Teen allegedly lured 8-year-old Calif. girl into apartment before killing her, dumping body in recycling bin". WXMI. 2015-07-28. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ Martinez, Michael (29 July 2015). "Adrian Gonzalez charged as adult in death of CA girl, 8". CNN. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ Farrell, Paul (2015-07-29). "Adrian Gonzalez: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ "Adrian Gonzalez: Will he be tried as a child in Madyson Middleton murder?". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ Copitch, Josh (2019-05-17). "Adrian Gonzalez could still be prosecuted as an adult, SB 1391 ruled unconstitutional". KSBW. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- 2015 murders in the United States
- Deaths by person in the United States
- Deaths by strangulation in the United States
- Female murder victims
- Formerly missing people
- Incidents of violence against girls
- Murder in California
- Murdered American children
- Sexual assaults in the United States