Lawrenceville man sentenced to life in double murder after going to church with victims

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA– A Lawrenceville man will spend life in prison after confessing to fatally shooting two people in a Lilburn attack sparked by perceived disrespect.

Javier Aragon Ruiz, 55, pled guilty pled 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 and one

count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony for the December 2025 shooting deaths of Javier Martinez, 28, and 17-year-old Jesua Valesca Garcia Perez. 

Ruiz also stabbed Jace Austin Corley and shot at Corley’s girlfriend and Perez’s sister, Soemia Garcia Perez, according to the Gwinnett County’s District Attorney’s investigation.   Ruiz was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 10 years. He will be more than 85 years old when he is eligible for parole, the DA’s office said.

“We hope that this outcome brings the families some solace and justice,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This was a violent defendant who belongs in prison.” Ruiz went to church with Valesca Perez and Martinez and their family. At some point, Valesca Perez’ mother expressed concern about Ruiz being around the teen and forbade her from speaking to Ruiz. On the night of December 5, 2025, Ruiz was waiting for Valesca Perez when she arrived home with Martinez, who had driven her. Ruiz entered Martinez’s vehicle with both Martinez and Valesca Perez inside, and the three traveled together to Harbins Road in Lilburn. At some point during the drive, Ruiz pulled out a firearm and shot both Martinez and Valesca Perez.

After the shooting, Ruiz left Valesca Perez’s and Martinez’s bodies in the car and went back to the apartment on Windscape Village Lane, where he had initially met them. There, he encountered Soemia Garcia Perez, Valesca Perez’s sister, and her boyfriend, Corley. When Soemia Garcia Perez and Corley asked about Valesca Perez’s whereabouts, Ruiz aimed the gun at them. Soemia Garcia Perez fled as Ruiz shot at her. Ruiz then attacked Corley with a knife, slashing his neck from shoulder to shoulder, narrowly missing his throat.

Ruiz was arrested in Tennessee after a DUI stop, according to the investigation. 

Assistant District Attorney Laura Trejo prosecuted the case with assistance from Investigators Benjamin Lucas, John Wilbanks, and Bernard Monti and Victim Witness Advocate Trina Bradford. The Lilburn Police Department and the Gwinnett County Police Department were invaluable in helping to prosecute this case, the District Attorney’s Office stated. 

Life sentence: Pictured Javier A. Ruiz/Photo via Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.