Watsonville gang member sentenced to life for 2004 robbery-murder in Santa Cruz
By JENNIFER SQUIRES - Sentinel Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/20/2008 07:43:03 PM PDT


Anthony Gonzales, 26, was given a sentence of 92 years to life for killing a Salvadoran immigrant during the July 24 robbery on Spruce Street. Gonzales shot Rodolfo Escobar, 29, in the head with a shotgun over $20.

"You have, for all practical purposes, thrown away your life," said Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Robert Atack, who handed down the sentence Thursday afternoon.

A jury in February convicted Gonzales of nine crimes, including first-degree murder and allegations the crimes were committed on behalf of a gang. He will never be eligible for parole because the killing was gang-motivated.

Prosecutor Ariadne Symons asked the judge to mete out the maximum sentence, a request she called "rare" but said was necessary.

"In this case, he committed the ultimate crime: He has taken the life of another human being. It was a deliberate choice," Symons said. "We need to say 'This gang activity is not going to be tolerated and should be stopped.'"

Gonzales always claimed he did not pull the trigger, though he didn't contest that he took part in the robbery and belonged to a Watsonville street gang.

His alleged accomplices in the Escobar murder - Juan Soto and Francisco Valenciano also of Watsonville - are being held in County Jail awaiting an October trial. They have pleaded not
guilty to charges of first-degree murder, robbery and allegations the crimes were committed to benefit their gang.

The trio was accused of robbing a group of men who were playing poker in an apartment complex driveway. Several of the poker players attended Thursday's sentencing.

"I'm very sad," said Francisco Ayala, a poker player who testified during Gonzales's four-week trial. "Rodolfo was like a brother to me and I've been waiting for this day, hoping he would get what's coming

But Gonzales's mother, who believes he did not kill Escobar, begged Atack to give her son a lesser sentence.

"He's a good person. He has a good heart," said Toni Gonzales, who along with other family members was dressed in red, the color of her son's gang. "Please be lenient to him because he's not a murderer."

Gonzales sat in the jury box next to his attorney, Steve Wright, during the sentencing hearing but declined to give a statement and showed little emotion. Several of his gang tattoos, including one around the base of his neck, were visible.

"His future is bleak," Wright said in court. "If it weren't for his gang involvement, he could have been a productive, contributing member of society, because his mom's right. He does have a good heart."

Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.