Juvenile Justice Transfer Law of California

The case is eight-year-old Madyson Middleton murdered by fifteen-year-old Adrian Gonzalez. In Santa Cruz, at an apartment complex on the 26th of July, 2015, eight-year-old Madyson was lured by her fifteen-year-old neighbor Adrian with ice cream to his mothers apartment. Once he had her in the apartment he raped, duct taped her neck and stabbed her three times. After that he stuffed her body into three plastic bags and threw her in a recycling bin at the apartment complex. When the mass search for Madyson was going on Adrian repeatedly asked for updates and joined in the search for her. About twenty-four hours went by before the body was found. Adrian was around the body when the body was discovered. Adrian was arrested and placed in Santa Cruz County juvenile hall until further notice.

The apartment complex cameras caught Adrian dumping Madysons body in the recycling bin. Immediately right after dumping the body he played with his toy yoyo like nothing ever happened. The coroner said that Madyson died by positional Asphyxiation, and stabbing and not so much by the strangulation. It was the way she was positioned in the dumpster that killed her. He then ruled her death as a homicide.

Adrian was transferred to the adult court, for a couple of reasons. One his age, because he was fifteen. The transfer law works if the juvenile 14-16 and committed first or second-degree murder, and that means with the intent or personally killed the victim. Which he did. Another reason was the category and he did several assaults to her person. Adrian was charged with murder, forcible rape, lewd acts with a child under fourteen and rape by instrument. The offenses are to serious for a juvenile court. Adrians case was Statutory Exclusion transferred. Statutory Exclusion means the state law excludes some classes of cases involving juvenile age offenders from juvenile court, granting adult criminal court exclusive jurisdiction over some types of offenses. Murder and serious violent felony cases are most commonly excluded from juvenile court. The offense was murder and a violent felony Adrian was trialed as an adult.

The defense attorney did not want him to be tried as an adult or put in with the dangerous population in prison. He said that his client was an awkward and slightly autistic teen. Adrian ended up giving a confession:

Eventually Adrian gave a lengthy confession on how he murdered and tortured Madyson and it was read during the hearing. He said that he lured Madyson to his mothers apartment with ice cream, choked her until she lost consciousness, raped her and stabbed her in the neck. He also played loud music that way no one could hear them. While he was choking her, she asked him what are you doing? and she looked sad and confused.

After the confession it was difficult for him to be not guilty. The lead prosecutor mentioned that Adrian had a long life of issues that could not be helped with therapy. Adrian would also not be tracked if he left the juvenile justice system. Adrian showed signs of psychopathy. Adrian was sentenced to Santa Cruz prison.

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