Sexual murderer who raped and murdered 8-year-old girl at age 15 after luring her with ice cream could soon be back on the streets

A California felon who raped and murdered a little girl after luring her with ice cream could soon be free after just nine years in prison.

Adrian Jerry “AJ” Gonzalez was 15 when he attacked eight-year-old Madyson Middleton in the apartment building where they both lived on July 25, 2015.

He lured her to his mother’s apartment at the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz before raping her, strangling her to death and dumping her body in a dumpster.

Two days later, Gonzalez, now 24, was charged with the child’s murder. He pleaded guilty before being sentenced to a juvenile prison term in 2021.

But under California law, offenders convicted in juvenile court are eligible for parole once they reach age 25.

Because Gonzalez turns 25 this fall, hearings are currently underway under the supervision of Judge Denine Guy to determine whether he is suitable for release.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Ashley Mowrey revealed gruesome details about her conversations with Gonzalez in 2023, in which he told her his crimes were sexually motivated.

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“Mr. Gonzalez said he was aroused … she was an object for the satisfaction of his sexual needs,” Mowrey told the court.

The experienced prison psychiatrist, who has worked with hundreds of sex offenders, said Gonzalez talked about his crimes but did not mention the gruesome details.

But prosecutor Tara George, trying to prove that Gonzalez remains at high risk of reoffending, revealed gruesome details of the brutal killing in her questioning of Mowrey.

“Did he talk to you about the music he was playing when she was moaning and losing her breath in the garbage bag?” George asked.

“When he was choking her, did she look him in the eyes? He was aroused when he thought she was dead?”

Mowrey replied, “No.”

The psychiatrist said that a test to determine the likelihood that Gonzalez could commit a sexual offense again found his risk to be “above average.”

In a second test, his risk was classified as “medium range.”

Assistant Public Defender Athena Reis, who represents Gonzalez, argued that the tests were designed for adult offenders and not for people who committed sex crimes as juveniles.

Mowrey said González’s personality tests also revealed elevated scores for schizophrenia, psychopathic deviations and paranoia.

She described him as “very isolated and alienated from the world.”

“(He) is paranoid about how other people perceive him, and that results in his isolating behavior,” Mowrey added.

A group of locals, including friends of Madyson’s family, held a demonstration outside the courthouse demanding that Gonzalez spend the rest of his life in prison.