Man Who Gunned Down Uncle was Made to Eat Feces by Abusive Mother: Aunt

A man who gunned down his uncle six years ago was forced by his abusive mother to eat his own feces, the killer’s aunt told detectives.

A video of the aunt’s interview with Will County detectives was played Thursday at the sentencing hearing for her murderous nephew, 29-year-old Jason Gonzalez. Gonzalez got 45 years in prison for shooting his uncle Lance Goebel to death in September 2009.

The aunt, Rhonda Goebel, said Gonzalez’s mother, Kim Gonzalez, never bothered toilet training her son but was still irritated when the young boy soiled himself.

So irritated, Rhonda Goebel said, that Kim Gonzalez made her 4-year-old “eat his own s---.”

Kim Gonzalez, her ex-husband and her boyfriend also beat and abused Jason Gonzalez throughout his childhood, Rhonda Goebel said.

“Just imagine what this kid’s life was like, and imagine how many people should have done something,” Rhonda Goebel said.

Jason Gonzalez moved in with Rhonda Goebel when he was a teenager and, after he returned home from the Army, lived with Lance Goebel and his family in their home outside New Lenox. Lance Goebel also had two severely developmentally disabled men residing in his basement as part of his work with Illinois Mentor.

Lance Goebel had thrown Jason Gonzalez out of the house shortly before the murder. Judge Edward Burmila said the killing may have been motivated by Jason Gonzalez having an inappropriate relationship with his underage cousin, Lance Goebel’s daughter.

Jason Gonzalez shot Lance Goebel numerous times with a 9-mm handgun, then stole $1,000 and his uncle’s Chevy HHR.

Lance Goebel’s wife found her husband dead in the home and tried to perform CPR on him, said Assistant State’s Attorney Fred Harvey, but the blood pouring from his mouth prevented her. Several days later, the police caught Jason Gonzalez sleeping in his mother’s 1997 Saturn, which he borrowed from her shortly before the killing. Jason Gonzalez was parked behind a bush on Larkin Avenue in Joliet, police said.

Jason Gonzalez acted as his own attorney and took the case before a jury in June, but in the middle of his trial decided to plead guilty.

At his sentencing hearing, Jason Gonzalez said his uncle stole his money and his Link card, then kicked him off his paintball team when he confronted him about it. He also said he only shot Lance Goebel because his uncle “attacked” him with a phone.

“He threw a phone at me so I shot him,” Jason Gonzalez explained.

Jason Gonzalez struggled to keep his composure as he spoke and openly wept at times. He apologized to relatives who sat in the gallery but pointed out, “Violence isn’t created in a vacuum.”

“I’m not a good person,” Jason Gonzalez said, “which is unfortunate, because I always wanted to be.”