How a Santa Cruz murder case changed the juvenile justice system

Adrian Gonzalez is expected back in court ahead of his extension hearing. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local) SANTA CRUZ More than 11 years after he killed 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton in Santa Cruz, Adrian Gonzalez is back in court as prosecutors seek to keep him in custody, less than three months before a new state law inspired by the case takes effect. The new law aims to spare victims’ families further trauma by requiring fewer hearings, but it has not spared Maddy’s family, including her mother Laura Jordan.  “Every time I have to go back to court, I’m retraumatized,” Jordan said in an interview last week. “This new law takes victims, their families and their suffering into consideration. It will give us just a tiny bit more time in between these incredibly painful trials.” Gonzalez kidnapped, raped and killed Middleton at the Tannery Arts Center in 2015. He was denied release in February 2025 after a Santa Cruz jury found he still posed a danger to the