LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Court TV) — A Georgia man was sentenced to life in prison after he admitted to killing two people and attacking two others.
Javier Ruiz pleaded guilty to killing two people. (Gwinnett Co. District Attorney)
Javier Aragon Ruiz, 55, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault and weapons charges stemming from an incident in December 2025.
Ruiz had attended church with the victims, Javier Martinez, 28, and Jesua Valesca Garcia Perez, 17; prosecutors said that at some point, the teenager’s mother had been concerned about Ruiz spending time with her and forbade the two from speaking.
On Dec. 5, 2025, investigators said that Ruiz was waiting for Garcia Perez when she arrived at her home with Martinez, who had given her a ride. Ruiz got into Martinez’s vehicle with both of them. At some point during the drive, Ruiz pulled out a gun and shot both victims to death.
Prosecutors said after the murders, Ruiz left the victims’ bodies in the car and went back to Garcia Perez’s apartment. There, he found Garcia Perez’s sister, Soemia Garcia Perez, and her boyfriend, Jace Austin Corley. When Soemia Garcia Perez asked about her sister, Ruiz aimed the gun at them. When Soemia Garcia Perez ran from the scene, Ruiz pulled out a knife and slashed Corley.
Prosecutors say Ruiz was arrested in Tennessee when officers stopped him for DUI.
“We hope that this outcome brings the families some solace and justice,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a news release. “This was a violent defendant who belongs in prison.”
After pleading guilty, Ruiz was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus 10 years. That means he will be over 85 years old when he is eligible for parole.
