Arraignment date set for Mason City murder suspect

MASON CITY — The arraignment date has been set for the man accused of murdering a Mason City man late last month.

38-year-old Benjamin Gonzalez is accused of the shooting death of 36-year-old Michael Creviston on the night of March 31st in the area of 3rd Northwest and North Jefferson. A criminal complaint states that Gonzalez fired a handgun with pre-meditation at Creviston, striking him fatally in the torso. Gonzalez was arrested the following Monday after a standoff with authorities in Algona.

Judge Gregg Rosenbladt on Friday set the arraignment hearing for Gonzalez, which he would plead either guilty or not guilty to the first-degree murder charge, for April 27th in the courtroom of the Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center.

Gonzalez remains in the Cerro Gordo County Jail, being held on $1 million bond. If convicted of first-degree murder, Gonzalez would face the rest of his life in prison without the opportunity for parole.