Travis County DA’s Office Secures Conviction for Man Charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Aggravated Robbery & Indecency with a Child by Exposure
Travis County, TX — On Thursday, April 4, 2024, Joel Santiago Gonzalez-Pavon, 19, pled guilty to Murder, four cases of Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Indecency with a Child by Exposure before jury selection for his trial was set to begin on Friday, April 5th, 2024.
In the murder case of Mr. Gonzalez-Pavon, he received a sentence of 35 years in prison. He was also sentenced to 20 years for each of the Aggravated Robbery cases and the Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon case, and 10 years for the Indecency with a Child by Exposure case. All of his sentences will run concurrently.
On January 26, 2023, the Austin Police Department arrested Mr. Gonzalez-Pavon and charged him with the murder of Josue Arredondo Moreno, 45, which took place on December 19, 2022. On the same day, the Austin Police Department also charged Mr. Gonzalez-Pavon with multiple Aggravated Robbery cases.
On April 20, 2023, while in custody for his other felony cases, the Austin Police Department charged Mr. Gonzalez-Pavon with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and Sexual Assault of a Child.
The trial against Mr. Gonzalez-Pavon was prepared by Assistant District Attorneys Emily Scholten, Melissa Pulido, and David Levingston, with the support of Investigator John Holliday, Victim Counselors Raquel Pompey and Agustina Romero, Paralegal Katrina Spradling, and Legal Secretary Carmen Amaro. Mr. Gonzalez-Pavon’s murder case was investigated by APD Detective Jeff Rodriguez, his robbery series cases were investigated by APD Detective Gadiel Alas, and his sexual assault cases were investigated by APD Detective Valentin De Los Santos.
“Our office is grateful to our dedicated staff and law enforcement partners for their tireless work in holding the defendant accountable and seeking justice for the victims,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza. “We hope this outcome
brings closure and peace to the victims and their families.”
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