A 15-year-old boy was charged as an adult with murdering and sexual assaulting an 8-year-old girl, whose body was found in a recycling bin after she went missing in Santa Cruz, California, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Adrian Jerry Gonzalez also faces a kidnapping charge in the killing of Madyson “Maddy” Middleton, said Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell.
The boy could face life in prison if convicted, Rosell said.
“At this point, there is no plea deal on anything,” the prosecutor told reporters.
The girl, an acquaintance of the defendant, voluntarily entered the apartment of the boy on Sunday, police said.