A San Joaquin County judge on Monday handed down decades-long prison terms to two defendants in the 2022 Tracy killing of 30-year-old Navy veteran Justin Peoples, closing a closely watched case prosecutors called racially motivated and wrapping up a trial that drew intense community attention this fall.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Tuesday that Christina Lyn Garner was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison and ordered to the California Central Women’s Facility, while Jeremy Wayne Jones received 27 years to life and was sent to the California Department of Corrections, according to CBS Sacramento. Prosecutors told the outlet both defendants received 1,343 days of credit for time already served.
Guilty verdict followed a multi-day trial
On Oct. 14, after a multi-day trial, a jury found both defendants guilty of first-degree murder and hate-crime enhancements, according to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office. Jurors also found that Jones used a knife and that Garner personally used a firearm in the killing, the DA’s release said.
How prosecutors say the killing unfolded
Prosecutors said the deadly March 15, 2022 confrontation started when Peoples briefly brushed past Garner inside a Chevron on the 3700 block of North Tracy Boulevard and then spiraled into a fatal attack, according to KCRA. Surveillance video shown at trial and witness testimony described Peoples being stabbed multiple times and later shot before he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Judge calls the shooting “execution-style”
Judge Charlotte Orcutt told the courtroom she had reviewed the surveillance footage and described the killing as “what the court would deem an execution-style killing,” saying she would not strike the firearm enhancements because of how the attack unfolded, according to The Record. Orcutt imposed the full enhancements: Garner received 25 years to life on the murder count plus another 25 years to life for personally discharging a firearm that caused death, while Jones was given the base 25-to-life term with additional years for using a knife and being armed.
A third defendant, Christopher Dimenco, was charged in 2022 as an accessory and previously entered a plea in the case, the DA’s office said, according to CBS Sacramento. Officials said Dimenco’s case was handled separately from the joint murder trial…