GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Lawrenceville man may spend the rest of his life behind bars after admitting to killing two people in a violent attack prosecutors say stemmed from perceived disrespect.
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According to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, Javier Aragon Ruiz, 55, pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple charges connected to the December 2025 killings of Javier Martinez, 28, and 17-year-old Jesua Valesca Garcia Perez.
Ruiz pleaded guilty to:
- Two counts of malice murder
- Two counts of felony murder
- Four counts of aggravated assault
- Three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
- One count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony
He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 10 years. Prosecutors say Ruiz will be older than 85 before becoming eligible for parole.
“We hope that this outcome brings the families some solace and justice,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement. “This was a violent defendant who belongs in prison.”
Investigators said Ruiz attended church with Garcia Perez, Martinez and their family. At some point, Garcia Perez’s mother reportedly became concerned about Ruiz being around the teenager and told her daughter to stop communicating with him.
Prosecutors said on the night of Dec. 5, 2025, Ruiz waited for Garcia Perez when she arrived home with Martinez, who had driven her there. Ruiz then got inside Martinez’s vehicle, and the three drove together to Harbins Road in Lilburn.
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During the drive, authorities said Ruiz pulled out a gun and shot both Martinez and Garcia Perez.
After the killings, prosecutors said Ruiz returned to an apartment on Windscape Village Lane where he encountered Garcia Perez’s sister, Soemia Garcia Perez, and her boyfriend, Jace Austin Corley.
When the couple asked where Garcia Perez was, Ruiz allegedly pointed a gun at them. Prosecutors said Soemia Garcia Perez ran as Ruiz fired at her.
Authorities said Ruiz then attacked Corley with a knife, slashing his neck “from shoulder to shoulder,” narrowly missing his throat.
Authorities later arrested Ruiz in Tennessee during a DUI stop.
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