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Madyson Middleton: Memorial For 8-Year-Old Scheduled for August 23

By Angelique Johnson
Published on: 02:11 PST, Aug 21, 2015

A memorial for Madyson Middleton, the beautiful 8-year-old girl killed earlier this year by a local teen, will be held Sunday, Aug. 23.

The service for Madyson will be held at Kaiser Permanente Arena, located at 140 Front St. in Santa Cruz, Calif.. The memorial is open to the public. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m and the memorial will begin at 3:00 p.m.

Madyson Middleton’s memorial was organized by her family, artists from Tannery Arts Center, and the Santa Cruz Warriors basketball team.

The event will include performances from Tannery artists and other artists to help honor Madyson.

Tannery Arts Center offers housing for local artists. Madyson and her mother, Laura Jordan, were residents of the community. Maydson’s killer, Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, 15, also lived in the community.

Police found Madyson Middleton’s body in a recycling bin at Tannery Arts Center July 27. The official autopsy report states Madyson had died from asphyxiation and stab wounds to the neck.

Gonzalez has been charged as an adult with felony murder, kidnapping, forcible rape, and lewd acts on a child under 14.

Friends of Madyson Middleton’s mother reached out to the Warriors organization to see if they would host a large public memorial for Madyson. Kaiser Permanente Arena can sit 2,300 people.

“We said, ‘Absolutely, whatever we can do,'” said Jim Weyermann, president of the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Jasmine Schlafe, a writer who lives at Tannery, said Madyson’s memory will live on.

“Through our art she’ll live on. Through our songs, our poems, our murals. That will be displayed in full celebration at her memorial.”

City of Santa Cruz spokesman Keith Sterling also spoke about Madyson Middleton, saying: “The region and the country really has embraced this little girl. She’s our daughter. So I think it’s only fitting that we have this type of tribute and event to remember her.”

Three GoFundMe pages have been created in order to help the families of Madyson.

The first fund will help pay for living expenses of Madyson Middleton’s mother. A separate fund will benefit Madyson’s father, Mike Middleton. A third fund also approved by Madyson Middleton’s father is also taking pledges.

Madyson Middleton’s killer is expected back in court Sept. 21.

We will have more information on the Madyson Middleton murder trial as it develops.

[Images via Remembering Madyson Middleton Facebook Page]

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