Preliminary hearing April 16th for man accused of Mason City murder

MASON CITY — The preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a Mason City man accused of murder.

38-year-old Benjamin Gonzalez was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant on Monday afternoon after a standoff with authorities in Algona. Gonzalez is accused of the shooting death of 36-year-old Michael Creviston last Wednesday night 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 is currently being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $1 million cash-only bond. Judge Rolf Aronsen this morning scheduled the preliminary hearing for Gonzalez to take place on April 16th.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Gonzalez would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the opportunity for parole.