Man who killed Lansing teenager and dumped her body near Ann Arbor sentenced
LANSING – A man accused of killing his girlfriend in Lansing more than four years ago and dumping her body in a wooded area near Ann Arbor has been sentenced to at least 22½ years in prison.
Amadio Gonzalez, now 23, pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder in connection with the death of 17-year-old Treasure Stewart-Adams in May 2020. On Wednesday, Ingham County District Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced him to 22½ to 62½ years in prison, with credit for the more than four years he spent in prison.
Aquilina said she believed Gonzalez deserved more than 22.5 years, but decided to enter into a sentence agreement because there was a possibility Gonzalez could be convicted of a lesser charge or not convicted at all if the case went before a jury. Gonzalez would have been allowed to withdraw his guilty plea if Aquilina exceeded the agreed-upon minimum sentence.
“I will stick to the agreement, even if I do not agree with it as a mother,” said the judge.
In early June 2020, Gonzalez was charged with open murder, tampering with evidence, disposal of a body without the permission of a coroner, and three weapons offenses. Those charges were dropped when Gonzlez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Treasure was missing for several days before her body was found. Police concluded she was shot in Gonzalez’s bedroom in late May. He and his best friend loaded her body into a vehicle and dumped it in a wooded area in the Chelsea area, police said.
In a court document, police said they searched Gonzalez’s home twice and found blood splattered on the walls and floor. A friend told police Gonzalez told him he accidentally shot Treasure.
Gonzalez’s friend Garrett Lifsey was charged with illegal disposal of a corpse and accessory after the fact. The case was resolved in a way that kept it private. Both he and Gonzalez were 19 years old at the time.
Several people, including Treasure’s mother, told Aquilina on Wednesday that they believed Gonzalez deserved a harsher sentence than the 22.5 years agreed to in the sentence.
But Ingham County Assistant District Attorney Sarah Pulda told Aquilina that a trial would not have resulted in a first-degree murder conviction for Gonzalez. Treasure was alone with him in the basement, and given the facts of the case, the most likely outcome would have been a manslaughter or first-degree murder conviction, she said.
“Sadly, the defendant is the only person who knows what happened,” she said.
Prosecutors consulted with Treasure’s family before agreeing to the deal, Pulda said. The minimum sentence of 22.5 years is within the range considered appropriate under the state’s sentencing guidelines, she said.
Contact Ken Palmer at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj.
