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Left: Cruz Medina (KOB). Right: Jada Gonzales (GoFundMe).
One of five defendants who shot up a house in New Mexico after they were kicked out of a party, killing an 18-year-old woman inside, has learned his fate.
Cruz Medina, who was 16 when he fired at the house in 2022, killing Jada Gonzales, was sentenced Friday to 24 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to a first-degree murder charge in October.
“In your own immaturity and anger and complete disregard for the respect of your life and every other individual, you decided to shoot at that house. I know that you knew what happened that night because it was all over the news. You didn’t turn yourself in, you continued to terrorize the community and shoot at other homes … and for what? You don’t understand the value of other people’s lives, and you have shown that,” said New Mexico Second Judicial District Judge Courtney Weaks.
Medina apologized in court.
“That night, I knew what was going to happen, and I really didn’t want it to happen,” he said. “I really tried not to do anything. If I could take away what happened that night, I would.”
Gonzales was fatally shot on Dec. 17, 2022, in Albuquerque. The murder was sparked after Medina, then 16, and other teenagers were asked to leave the party after posing with guns. After being removed, shots were fired into the home, resulting in Gonzales’ death, officials said in a press release.
Four others were arrested. A second defendant pleaded guilty in September 2024 to charges including murder, conspiracy and tampering with evidence and was sentenced to 29 years in prison.
Gonzales was remembered as a promising student with a bright future. She had just turned 18 and planned to attend Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas, her mother, Kateri Sanchez, said on GoFundMe.
“Instead of planning a graduation celebration we’re making funeral arrangements for my daughter, Jada,” her mother wrote. “She had plans of attending TCU. My daughter was an exemplary student in her last year as a senior at Albuquerque Academy.”
“There is so much more I could say about Jada but words are failing me as I type this,” she added. “This is the greatest pain I’ve ever known and not one I’d wish any parent to ever feel. Jada Brooke Gonzales touched many lives and hearts and we are all devastated by this loss.”
