Justin Peoples

Justin Peoples was a 30-year-old Black man, a U.S. Navy veteran, and a devoted father to two young sons. His father, Maurice Peoples, described him as a "remarkable young man" with a "big kind heart" and a smile that could light up a room. A youth pastor who grew up in Stockton, California, Justin worked two jobs delivering auto parts and packages to support his family.

On the evening of March 15, 2022, Justin went to a Chevron gas station on North Tracy Boulevard in Tracy with his girlfriend to get quarters for laundry. Inside the convenience store, he briefly brushed past a woman, which led to a violent and fatal confrontation. The woman, Christina Lyn Garner, informed her partner, Jeremy Wayne Jones, who then rushed into the store and demanded an apology from Justin. A scuffle ensued, during which Jones pulled out a knife and stabbed Justin multiple times. Garner then retrieved a gun from their vehicle, returned to the store, and shot Justin in the head.

Officers arrived to find Justin on the floor of the store with a gunshot wound and numerous stab wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries about two hours later, in the early hours of March 16, 2022. His father later said, "He had the heart of a lion to survive but he just didn't make it."

Investigators quickly identified the suspects, arresting 42-year-old Christina Lyn Garner and 49-year-old Jeremy Wayne Jones the following morning in Stockton. A third individual, 58-year-old Christopher Dimenco, was later charged as an accessory for allegedly helping the couple try to escape. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office charged Garner and Jones with first-degree murder, alleging that the attack was a hate crime. Prosecutors pointed to Jones’s tattoos, which included swastikas and the words “white pride,” and a history of affiliation with white supremacist groups.

In October 2025, a jury found both Jeremy Wayne Jones and Christina Lyn Garner guilty of the first-degree murder of Justin Peoples. The jury also found true the special allegations that Jones used a knife and Garner personally used a firearm during the killing. During the trial, a medical examiner testified that Justin had sustained 18 separate sharp-force injuries.

In November 2025, both defendants were sentenced for their roles in the murder. Garner received a sentence of 50 years to life in state prison, while Jones was sentenced to 27 years to life. The case concluded with justice for the racially motivated killing that Tracy's police chief had called a "senseless act of violence."