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Delaware Official Rejects Juvenile Appeal in Murder Case

Joe Gratz
/
creative commons

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A Delaware court commissioner is recommending that a judge deny an appeal from a man convicted of murder for a killing committed when he was 17.

Joshua Gonzalez was sentenced to more than 55 years in prison for the March 2016 shooting of 22-year-old Christian Serrano in Wilmington. The state Supreme Court last week upheld the conviction of his codefendant, Jose Moreta, who's serving life in prison.

In a Facebook post two days after the shooting, Gonzalez bragged about it and warned that anyone messing "wit tha gang" would "end up in a box."

Gonzalez argued in his appeal that his defense attorney was ineffective.

In a report issued Thursday, the commissioner recommended that a judge deny Gonzalez's motion for postconviction relief, noting that his defense attorney refuted Gonzalez's claims.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.