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2 defendants sentenced in 2022 Tracy hate crime killing of Black man

More than three years after 30-year-old Justin Peoples was shot and stabbed to death at a Tracy gas station, two people have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in what prosecutors called a racially motivated killing.

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 was remanded to the California Central Women's Facility following Monday's hearing. Jeremy Wayne Jones was sentenced to 27 years to life and was remanded to the California Department of Corrections.

Prosecutors said both received 1,343 days of credit for time served.

Garner and Jones were previously convicted of first-degree murder and hate crime enhancements in the March 2022 killing of Peoples, a Black Navy veteran and father of two.

Police said Peoples was attacked at a Chevron station along North Tracy Boulevard, where he was found shot and stabbed multiple times. He died hours later at a hospital.

At the time of their arrests, prosecutors said both defendants had a history of white supremacist affiliations. The District Attorney's Office previously released images of Jones' tattoos displaying swastikas and the words "white pride."

Peoples' family spoke publicly throughout the case, describing him as a devoted father. Tracy police at the time called the killing a "senseless act of violence."

A third defendant, Christopher Dimenco, was charged in 2022 as an accessory and previously pleaded in the case.

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