When Jordan Gonzalez was a young boy, he started hearing about his uncle Manuel Taboada’s death. Gonzalez didn’t know many details about the case, but every time the tragic murder was showcased on a true crime TV show, he would hear his father say, “That’s family…”
In June, Gonzalez was one of nine new police officers sworn in with the Gainesville Police Department. Gonzalez said he knew growing up that he wanted to honor his uncle; it was his motivation for joining GPD.
“ I’m super happy. This is something I’ve been wanting to do since I was a little kid and to finally be living my dream, it’s surreal,” Gonzalez said.
Thirty-five years ago, as the University of Florida fall semester started in August 1990, the city was filled with terror following the murder of five UF students at the hands of Danny Harold Rolling, later named the “Gainesville Ripper.”…