Last week, we reported of a 15-year-old boy who was charged with the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Now, another teenager of the same age has been charged with the same crime. He has also been identified as he is being tried as an adult.
"A 15-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with murdering and sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, whose body was found Monday in a recycling bin after she went missing in Santa Cruz, California," CNN reported. "Adrian Jerry Gonzalez also faces a kidnapping charge in the killing of Madyson "Maddy" Middleton."
Additionally, the boy will be charged for two circumstances that included lying in wait and sexual offense. According to Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell, the boy could be imprisoned for life if found guilty. His age makes him ineligible for the death penalty.
The boy reportedly lured the girl into the apartment where he and his mother lived. The girl, according to authorities, went with him because she trusted him. They were alone when the crime took place.
In his own home, the accused then "sexually assaulted the girl and killed her, before carrying her body downstairs and discarding it in a recycling bin," The New York Times said. The girl's body was later found Monday, after a search that lasted more than 24 hours, by a Santa Cruz police officer.
"The suspect had gone to great lengths to conceal the body," police revealed, according to KSBW.com.
"The boy was standing nearby and watching detectives as they found the body at the bottom of a big blue recycling bin. He was quickly arrested on suspicion of homicide, and no motive was released," the news source added.
CNN also said that the police arrested the boy immediately as he "was in the general proximity" of the bin and may have been observing authorities as they checked it.
They boy has since been interviewed; no motivation has been revealed yet. No plea deal has been arranged yet as well.
"I've been here 24 years. Off the top of my head, I can't remember any 15-year-old charged with these specific offenses, including sexual assault offenses," Rosell told the media.
"Gonzalez, who was being held at Santa County Cruz County Juvenile Hall, is expected back in court Sept. 21," KTLA said.
Regarding the possible motive behind the crime, a source had told the San Francisco Chronicle that the boy had been "considering suicide and allegedly killed the girl because he wanted to see how people would react."
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