A man just sentenced to 28 years in state prison for human sex trafficking, kidnapping, and other crimes is now accused of a previously unsolved 2021 killing along South Los Angeles's Figueroa Corridor. Jihad Qahirnasi Jones and co-defendant Jacqueline Garcia are charged with murder and attempted second-degree robbery in the September 25, 2021, shooting death of a 25-year-old man on West 70th Street, part of the strip locally known as “The Blade.”
According to the KTLA report, Jones allegedly drove up to the victim's car and fired multiple rounds from a handgun into the vehicle, killing him, while Garcia was allegedly inside the victim's car at the time. The two then allegedly fled together in Jones's vehicle, per the outlet's account. Prosecutors allege the special circumstance of murder during an attempted robbery, and if convicted as charged, Jones and Garcia face life in state prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, KTLA reports.
The murder charge was filed under Case 26CJCF04722 following an investigation by LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The case comes nearly five years after the shooting, with the DA's office reporting that investigators uncovered new evidence that prompted the charge. Jones also faces additional gun enhancements and allegations involving two prior robbery strikes and active participation in a criminal street gang, per the report. A preliminary hearing setting for both defendants is scheduled for September 14 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
A Trafficking Case That Began When the Victim Was 18
Jones was sentenced on August 3 to 28 years for exploiting a woman as a sex worker between 2021 and 2024, beginning when she was 18 years old, the report states. He was convicted of human sex trafficking of an adult through force, fraud or coercion, kidnapping, dissuading a witness by force or threat, and assault by force likely to produce great bodily injury. Prosecutors say Jones controlled the woman through manipulation and threats, allegedly keeping all of her earnings and taking control of her phone.
According to the account, Jones trafficked the woman across multiple states before returning to California and became violent toward her after she gave birth to their son in 2023. He allegedly physically beat her when she did not follow instructions related to sex work, and he assaulted her friend when the friend tried to help her escape. The woman finally escaped in May 2024, but the report states Jones later tracked her to the Figueroa Corridor and violently kidnapped her again, with her 2-year-old son inside his car during the kidnapping and assault.
Same Prosecutors, One Cold Case Reopened
Deputy District Attorney Emily Chai of the Human Sex Trafficking Section within the DA's Sex Crimes Division is leading the prosecution of Jones in both the trafficking conviction and the newly filed murder charge, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The office notes the section works directly with LAPD Robbery-Homicide on violent crimes tied to commercial sexual exploitation, illustrating how evidence gathered in a trafficking probe can resurface an unsolved killing years later.
Under California Penal Code Section 190.2(a)(17), a murder committed during an attempted robbery is treated as a special circumstance carrying life imprisonment without parole or death, though Los Angeles County DA policy dictates seeking life without parole rather than capital punishment, according to Eisner Gorin LLP. California has maintained an executive moratorium on capital punishment since 2019, the firm notes.
DA Also Targets Buyers With Felony Conspiracy Charges
District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office announced the Jones murder charge alongside a separate case against a sex buyer, using a novel legal strategy that charges commercial sex buyers along the Figueroa Corridor with felony conspiracy to commit an act against public morals and conspiracy to commit a public nuisance rather than standard misdemeanor solicitation. Defendant Jesus Alberto Jimenez Martinez is accused of trying to buy sex from a 14-year-old girl, allegedly driving her to a public residential area along the corridor on March 27, and was ordered on July 30 to stand trial on one felony count each of conspiracy to commit an act against public morals and conspiracy to commit a public nuisance, prosecuted by DDA Paul Thompson. He was released on his own recognizance in April and faces up to three years in state prison if convicted as charged.
The Figueroa Corridor stretches roughly four miles from Gage Avenue to Imperial Highway, where open-air prostitution has operated near homes, schools, and places of worship just south of downtown hubs including Crypto.com Arena, as Hoodline previously reported. LAPD vice officers from the 77th Division regularly patrol the corridor to perform age checks during traffic stops, referring minors under 18 to child welfare services while offering social service referrals to adult sex workers instead of criminal arrests, focusing enforcement on pimps, traffickers, and buyers.
Part of a Broader Multi-Agency Crackdown
The cases against Jones and Jimenez Martinez follow a wave of law enforcement action targeting the corridor. In July, federal prosecutors and the LAPD unsealed a 31-count indictment against 18 alleged members and associates of the Hoover Criminals gang under Operation Broken Blade, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported that authorities allege the gang used physical violence, social media recruiting, and local motels to control sex trafficking in the area.
That enforcement builds on years of coordinated action, including the joint Figueroa Corridor Human Trafficking Initiative launched by federal and local law enforcement in September 2024 to pool investigative resources across South Los Angeles. Around the same time, LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed a civil nuisance lawsuit against the Sun Motel on Figueroa Street, citing 24 bullet casings found after a shooting and more than 30 arrests as evidence the property facilitated gang violence and commercial sex.
