Judge: Killer of 8-year-old Maddy Middleton remains danger to Santa Cruz community

SANTA CRUZ — There is probable cause that, if imminently released from juvenile detention, 24-year-old confessed killer Adrian Gonzalez would be a danger to society, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Just over nine years ago, Gonzalez, then a 15-year-old living with his mother at the Tannery Artist Lofts, lured 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton back to his empty apartment where he choked, raped and fatally stabbed his young neighbor. In 2021, under then-new state juvenile justice reform Senate Bill 92...