1997 killing of pregnant teen in Cottonwood goes to trial

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Marisol Gonzalez was fatally shot in the alley of a small Arizona town more than 20 years ago, and now the man accused of killing her is on trial.

Cecilio Cruz faces 43 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Gonzalez and their unborn son in Cottonwood, about 100 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Prosecutor Steve Young kept his opening statement short Monday afternoon, mostly sticking to a timeline that included Gonzalez leaving her home around 10 p.m. on March 24, 1997, with a cordless phone in hand. Her family has said she was expecting a call from Cruz.

“That was the last time her family saw her alive,” Young said from a Prescott courtroom.

Young sought to tie Cruz to the killing by telling a panel of 15 jurors that no one could account for Cruz’s whereabouts between 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. the next day.

The case is circumstantial but authorities said they believe it’s solid.

No one witnessed the crime, and no physical evidence or DNA ties Cruz to the killing. A small-caliber handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was never found.

Cruz’s attorney, Alex D. Gonzales, told jurors that prosecutors cannot prove that Cruz left his home that night. And, he said, it wouldn’t make sense because Cruz and his brother had invited people over for a party.

“When you hear all the evidence from the state, you are going to come to the conclusion that whoever killed her is not Cecilio Cruz,” Gonzales said.

The trial resumes Tuesday. It had been pushed back multiple times, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cruz, who is now 40, had long been suspected in Gonzalez’s death, but leads dried up after two years and the case went cold. Cruz wasn’t charged until 2014 after the case was featured on the TNT show “Cold Justice.” The episode was titled “First Love.”

Gonzalez and Cruz had dated in high school, but she didn’t find out she was pregnant with his child until after they broke up. Authorities believe the two, who were 17 at the time, were arguing about the pregnancy and Cruz’s involvement with other girls when Gonzalez was shot in the face.

Her body was found in the alley between her home and Cruz’s home on the same day she was scheduled to be induced to deliver the baby, authorities have said. She had already named the baby Andrew.

Gonzalez’s family reported her missing about 90 minutes before her body was discovered. They have said she was looking forward to becoming a mother and, eventually, a preschool teacher.

The three-week trial runs through Nov. 24.