The wheels of our justice system sometimes turn slowly. And for
victims and their families, each turn can be painful. But to see
justice served, even two years after a crime was committed, can
make it worthwhile.
The wheels of our justice system sometimes turn slowly. And for victims and their families, each turn can be painful. But to see justice served, even two years after a crime was committed, can make it worthwhile.
When a jury convicted Alexandre Hochstraser on Tuesday for the murder of former Hollister resident Dolores “Dee” Gonzales, family members rejoiced.
“All you could hear was, ‘Thank God,'” Beatrice Gonzales-Ramirez, the victim’s sister, told Free Lance reporter Michael Van Cassell.
Hochstraser, Gonzales’ then-boyfriend, was found guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday evening. The 48-year-old will be back for sentencing in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Sept. 13 and faces 25 years to life in state prison.
Dolores Gonzales was born in Hollister in 1961, the fourth of 10 children. She graduated from San Benito High School in 1979, then went to work for the San Benito County Free Library. After leaving Hollister in 1982, she worked at Mission College in Santa Clara for more than 20 years.
Though she no longer had been a Hollister resident, the community suffered a loss. Many local friends of hers felt the family’s pain. Others undoubtedly were saddened that Gonzales was taken in such a horrific way.
We are glad to see justice served in this case. Deputy District Attorney Ted Kajani, the lead prosecutor on the case, deserves credit for making sure that Hochstraser paid for this brutal crime.
As does the jury. These men and women made a difficult decision in a gruesome case. While pouring over testimony and evidence, they had to examine photographs taken of a brutal murder, including body parts shown stored in bins.
Jury duty has a bad reputation in our society. Recently, a Cape Cod man claimed he was homophobic, racist and a habitual liar to avoid jury duty. In that light, the men and women who took time to see that justice was done in this case deserve a lot of credit.
Tuesday’s verdict closes a tearful chapter for the Gonzales family and their hometown, Hollister. The family spent more than two years waiting for a conviction. And while a guilty verdict will not heal the family’s wounds, they can find solace in memories of Gonzales.
Certainly, the guilty verdict in this case shows that our system can work.
We hope the conviction in this case allows the family to move on knowing that Dolores Gonzales will not be forgotten by our community.
