Initially pleading not guilty to the charges earlier this year, Rady’s decision represents a shift in his legal strategy. Despite this plea change regarding the murder charge, court documents reveal that Rady has maintained his not guilty stance on related charges of armed burglary and tampering with evidence, which are also linked to Gonzales’ tragic death.

The incident in question occurred on October 12, 2020. At approximately 5:15 a.m., officers from the Atlantic Beach Police Department were dispatched to the 700 block of Redfin Drive following reports of a home invasion. It was this event that ultimately led to the fatal outcome for Gonzales, who was 43 at the time.

With the legal proceedings moving forward, Rady is scheduled to learn his sentencing fate on February 2, 2026. This date is crucial as it will determine the consequences he faces following his guilty plea to the murder charge. The community and all parties involved await the final outcome with keen interest.

On Oct. 12, 2020, at 5:15 a.m., officers with the Atlantic Beach Police Department responded to the 700 block of Redfin Drive in reference to a home invasion.

Upon arrival, officers found Gonzales shot in his bed with “bleach poured all over him,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Rady’s arrest report states that Gonzales was also found with a note on his forehead, which read: “You’re Fam is next.”

According to the report, Rady, Gonzales’s wife and her 12-year-old daughter were at Gonzales’s son’s apartment, which he shared with Rady, prior to the murder.

The report states that while the three were at the apartment, Rady heard Gonzales’s wife upset over how Gonzales had been treating her “poorly.”

Gonzalez’s wife’s daughter told police that Rady was seen placing bleach and other cleaning products in a bag and leaving the apartment.

According to the report, a “known associate” of Rady told police that Rady confessed to killing Gonzales with a .22 caliber pistol by shooting him four times.

After the murder, the report says Rady asked Gonzales’s wife’s daughter for help staging Gonzales’ home to “look like an intruder had come in,” to which she agreed. The report says that Rady threw the gun used in the murder into the ocean.

Rady was arrested and taken into custody on Jan. 6, after forensic testing revealed that Gonzales’ blood was on his clothing.