And the suspect, A.J. Gonzalez, is a Fil-Am

Juvenile murder suspect Adrian Gonzalez with his ubiquitous yo-yo.

It was the yo-yo.

That did it for me.

When the reports first surfaced that a suspect had been arrested in the murder/kidnapping of 8-year old Madyson Middleton in Santa Cruz, California, the face of the person arrested was electronically shaded to protect him.

It was like a veil. The last shred of cover to protect a sense of innocence. The suspect was just a boy of 15. A juvenile.

As a reporter who minds the Filipino beat, you are never sure if a particular story should concern you. In journalism, the ethnicity of a suspect is usually not reported unless it’s germane.

But in the ethnic-oriented media, it’s always germane. Until you can determine, there’s no Filipino present.

After years trying to figure out ethnicity, you develop a sense. Like when the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace occurred in 1997.

The suspect was Andrew Cunanan, born in San Diego, California, to a Filipino from Cavite who served in the Navy.

Cunanan was Filipino. I mentioned it in my columns at the time. I even cried foul, especially when Cunanan made the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list. He was an alleged serial killer on the loose. My complaint? The FBI insisted on identifying Cunanan as “white.”

Not Filipino.

It was our day in the dark sun. And we were still identified as White.

We don’t have the problem in the Santa Cruz murder. But age protected Adrian Jerry Gonzalez for as long as it could.

And then for the crimes he is alleged to have committed, being a juvenile was no longer a shield.

He could be identified. His name. His picture.

Gonzalez, like Guillermo, is part of our Spanish hangover. Part of me was hoping he was some kind of Latino. But by his build. By his face. I knew. He was not Latino.

And then the description of his mother, reported to be a home health care worker, who had raised him alone, and had family and relatives in the Philippines.

That made my jaw drop. You hope against hope, but reading that and seeing his face let me know this was our story. He was one of us.

The suspicious clue was always the yo-yo.

As you know, it was a Filipino American from Vintar, Ilocos Norte, near my father’s town of Laoag, who made the yo-yo a global toy. Pedro Flores was his name. He took the yo-yo to America with him, started a factory in Santa Barbara, California. And that’s when Duncan bought him out.

Prior to the ID of Adrian Gonzalez, he was described as the kid who was always seen practicing his yo-yo skills. “Prodigious” described the New York Times story. He was “never without” his yo-yo. Other stories identified him similarly.

How many young kids play with a yo-yo anymore?

It could mean just one thing. And then Gonzalez confirmed it. He, of course, had been on Instagram. He posted under the moniker, @AwkwardYoYoer.

On July 20, three days before the attack on young Middleton, there was a picture of a coffee cup next to a book, “It’s a Kind of Funny Story,” a young adult novel by Ned Vizzini about a mental health ward. Vizzini took his own life after suffering from mental illness in December of 2013 when he was 32.

The caption of the image: “You were my cup of tea. Now I drink coffee.”

Other reports tell of another image: On the day of the attack last Sunday, there’s a video of Tears for Fear’s song “Mad World.”

These are the bits that are emerging of Gonzalez, who will be tried not as a kid, but as an adult, charged with murder, kidnapping, forcible rape, lewd acts with a child younger than 14, and rape by instrument. There is no death penalty for juveniles, so if found guilty, Gonzalez’s life will be spared. If convicted, it will be prison for the rest of his life.

Thursday morning in Santa Cruz there was no plea entered. Gonzalez, in full view, no longer seen as the innocent teenage boy, was given his court-appointed attorneys and waived his right to a speedy trial. Now they will mount whatever defense they can muster. The next court appearance is September 21^st.

The DA has reportedly said there was no deal on the table. They are hell bent on bringing Gonzalez to justice. They have no doubt they have their man. The guy who is alleged to have lured young Madyson into his apartment; who is said to have tied her, violated her, then killed her and disposed her body in a recycling dumpster.

But what about Gonzalez’s mental state? Did he have suicidal tendencies? Was he mentally ill? The traces in social media suggest someone not well.

It doesn’t forgive or explain a thing. But could an insanity defense be raised to at least separate him from cold-blooded killers of the past?

The first time I heard of the story and saw Madyson’s picture, I was concerned as a parent. I’ve had kids that age. As a coach, I’ve been responsible for others’ kids. I just remember seeing Madyson, described as the girl on a scooter. I could see her as “Peppermint Patty.”

I was so concerned about her, and suspected her abductor to be some adult predator. Not some slightly older kid. And certainly not some lonely, confused American Filipino kid.

It makes a sad tragic story even more so. One life lost, another life ruined.

Can Gonzalez be helped? Or is he beyond that?

Let’s hope his lawyers give him the defense he deserves. It’s the process and the system. Punishment will come if merited. But what is the best that can happen? There’s no death penalty involved. Under any circumstances does Gonzalez go free?

The DA seems so sure, they have their guy. As sure as I know Gonzalez is Filipino, I reserve judgment.

Right now, we just need to understand. That Gonzalez is Filipino could be helpful to us as a community. Do we pay enough attention to signs before us in our community? In our own circles of family and friends?

Too busy? It’s not too late to pay attention.

If it’s too late for Madyson, or too late for A.J., it may not be too late for another person—not just a teenager– who may see life as reeling on a string, dangling from a yo-yo.

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator who writes from Northern California. See him: www.twitter.com/emilamok, www.fb.com/emilguillermomedia, www.amok.com

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