Photo Courtesy of San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office
An alleged white supremacist couple was arraigned on murder charges alleging a Black Navy veteran’s fatal shooting and stabbing was a hate crime.
On the evening of March 15, 30-year-old Justin Peoples pulled into a Chevron gas station in Tracy, California. Inside the gas station, just after 9 p.m., Peoples was shot and stabbed. As reported by the Tracy Press, Peoples was rushed to San Joaquin General Hospital trauma center and died about 2 hours later from his injuries.
Christina Lyn Garner, 42, of Manteca, and Jeremy Wayne Jones, 49, of Stockton, are charged in the killing of Peoples in connection to a hate crime. A third person, Christopher Dimenco, 52, was arraigned on additional charges, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office said.
Tracy police determined that Peoples did nothing to provoke the attack that killed him and described it as a “senseless act of violence,” according to Channel 3000.
Both Jones and Garner are covered in tattoos. Prosecutors said many of Jones’ tattoos are associated with white supremacist groups. For example, the words “WHITE” and “PRIDE” are written on his arms, and the outline of a skeleton hovers over a swastika.
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District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said that after investigating Jones, they discovered he had shown support in the past for white supremacist entities like Skinheads, the Aryan Brotherhood, and Nazis.
“There is no place for hate in our community. No one should be victimized because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion,” Salazar said in a statement. “These types of crimes are reprehensible, and my administration will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law to hold those who perpetuate hate accountable.
On Friday after the arraignment, there was an emotional outpouring from Peoples’ family who said the victim was a veteran and father of two who served his country only to be shot and stabbed on his home turf.
“He was just a remarkable young man,” said Maurice Peoples, Justin’s father.
The three whites are set to appear in the San Joaquin County Superior Court on April 4 for further arraignment.