Kings County man accused of killing ex-girlfriend, kidnapping daughters could face death penalty

KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Cameras were not allowed successful a Kings County Courtroom connected Monday day arsenic 23-year-old Jonathan Maldonado Cruz, who is suspected of shooting and sidesplitting his ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Madeline Rose Cuevas, appeared successful tribunal for the archetypal time.

Authorities accidental Maldonado-Crus besides kidnapped their 2 toddler daughters and took them to Mexico earlier safely handing them implicit to authorities and turning himself successful astatine the border.

On Monday, helium learned the charges helium would beryllium facing.

"So our bureau did reappraisal each of the constabulary reports, and we moved guardant and filed a ailment against the defendant. The charges are execution successful the 1st grade with the peculiar circumstances of lying successful hold on with the weapon enhancement," says Kings County District Attorney, Sarah Hacker.

Hacker adds the lying and hold enhancement means Maldonado could look the decease punishment if and erstwhile the lawsuit moves forward, "and a assemblage ends up uncovering for the decease penalty, past the suspect would beryllium looking astatine decease row. If, for immoderate reason, we bash a decease punishment reappraisal and we determine that decease punishment is not an due punishment. In this case, then, adjacent so, the suspect is looking astatine beingness without the anticipation of parole."

Hacker says they judge their grounds shows Madeline was caught disconnected guard, and unaware of Maldonado's plan.

"We believed that determination was capable grounds to amusement that the suspect had acceptable up a condition wherever the unfortunate would person been successful a concern wherever she wouldn't person known astir the defendant's malicious intent, she would person been caught unaware, and the suspect would person had an accidental to instrumentality vantage of the victim's unawareness," says Hacker.

On Wednesday, Maldonado volition person an accidental to conscionable with his attorney, person his lawyer judge representation, and past participate a plea.

Hacker says this is the precise opening of the transgression justness process and a proceedings could beryllium months away.

"So sometimes it does instrumentality arsenic agelong arsenic a year, oregon adjacent 2 years, for a homicide to spell to proceedings and scope immoderate time, immoderate benignant of conclusion," explains Hacker.

Maldonado is expected to beryllium backmost successful tribunal connected Wednesday.

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