(10:31) SANTA CRUZ – A trial date has been set for the teenager accused of murdering an 8-year-old girl in Santa Cruz. Last July, A.J. Gonzalez allegedly lured Madyson Middleton into his family’s apartment. She was sexually assaulted, stabbed in the neck, and then put into a recycling bin where she died of positional asphyxiation. Gonzalez was arrested and now faces a number of charges, including murder, kidnapping, and forcible rape. On Tuesday morning, Gonzalez pleaded not guilty to all the charges and a judge set his trial date for February 21. Gonzalez will be tried as an adult and, if convicted, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. (S.G.)
