An Arlington teenager who pulled the trigger in a deadly 2024 street meetup has been sentenced to three decades behind bars. Today, 18-year-old Joshua Nunn pleaded guilty to murder and received a 30-year prison term for a June 24, 2024, shooting that left another 18-year-old dead in a north Arlington neighborhood, according to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.
Plea Deal Locks In 30-Year Term
Prosecutors say Nunn, now 18, stood up in court and admitted to murder, taking a plea that locked in a 30-year sentence in state prison. The arrangement was announced in a post by the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office on X.
Thanks to the Arlington Police Department for their work on this case and for their commitment to keeping our community safe. pic.twitter.com/uM3ANu2C5i
— Tarrant County DA (@TarrantCountyDA) February 19, 2026
The DA's office publicly credited the team that carried the case from crime scene to sentencing: Assistant District Attorney Dani Wojciak, investigators Steve Groppi and Marcus Rink, and victim coordinator Elizabeth Garcia. In the same post, prosecutors thanked the Arlington Police Department for its work on the investigation and its role in keeping violent crime in check.
Gunfire On Claire Court
According to the Arlington Police Department, officers were called around 7:24 p.m. on June 24, 2024, to the 400 block of Claire Court in north Arlington. When they arrived, they found two men with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle.
The Tarrant County medical examiner later identified the 18-year-old who died as Jesus Galarza of Fort Worth. A 20-year-old passenger survived with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries.
In a detailed homicide news release, investigators said they believe the victims had gone to Claire Court to meet the suspected shooter for what officers described as high-risk drug activity. At some point during that encounter, shots were fired, leaving Galarza dead at the scene, according to the Arlington Police Department.
From Teen Fugitive To Defendant
Three days after the shooting, the teenage suspect turned himself in to authorities and was booked into custody on murder and aggravated assault counts. Hoodline coverage, including reporting on the teen's arrest and bond, followed the case as it moved from the initial warrant to a formal murder charge.
Legal Note
According to the Arlington Police Department's release, Nunn was originally booked on a murder charge and an aggravated-assault count. He ultimately pleaded guilty as an adult to murder.
With the 30-year sentence now imposed, the criminal case has reached the sentencing stage. Any future appeals or post-conviction motions would move through the Tarrant County courts, where the district attorney's office handled the prosecution.
The shooting, which authorities say grew out of a risky street-level meeting that spiraled into violence, left Galarza's family and neighborhood residents grieving. Prosecutors say the plea and lengthy sentence provide a measure of accountability while law enforcement continues its work on violent-crime cases in Arlington and across Tarrant County.
