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Gunfire took the life of 19-year-old Leilani Beauchamp in a Fairfield bedroom, and her remains were later discarded on a hillside near Salinas. On Monday, June 23, 2025, Investigation Discovery will broadcast Mean Girl Murders at 9:00 PM ET, which will cover this case. The installment Full Throttle Murder reconstructs this 2021 case.
Leaving a Sacramento Halloween party with Travis Air Force Base airman Juan Parra-Peralta in the early hours of 30 October, Leilani Beauchamp was discovered dead just two days later. Fairfield police soon arrested Parra-Peralta, his former girlfriend Jessica Quintanilla, and her brother Marco Quintanilla, per the KCRA report dated November 2, 2021.
Autopsy testimony later confirmed a close-range gunshot wound to the head. A five-week Solano County trial in late 2024 ended with a unanimous jury convicting Jessica of first-degree murder and Marco of acting as an accessory, according to the reporter's news report dated November 20, 2024.
In January 2025, Jessica received 25 years to life and Marco four years. Final orders were filed in April 2025. This timeline traces how jealousy, cover-ups, and court rulings shaped the life and legacy of Leilani Beauchamp for her family and California community, too.
Complete chronological breakdown of the murder of Leilani Beauchamp
In the small hours of 30 October 2021, 19-year-old Leilani Beauchamp left a Halloween gathering in Sacramento, heading out alongside Travis Air Force Base airman Juan Parra-Peralta and another serviceman. They drove 50 miles southwest to Parra-Peralta’s rental on Cascade Lane in Fairfield.
During the early hours of 30 October 2021, events escalated into a deadly encounter. Roughly five hours later, Jessica Quintanilla, Parra-Peralta’s recent ex-girlfriend, arrived to collect personal items. Armed with a privately assembled “ghost” Glock, she walked into the second-floor bedroom and saw Leilani Beauchamp lying next to Parra-Peralta.
One close-range shot entered the right side of Beauchamp’s head, killing her instantly. Autopsy testimony later confirmed soot near the entry wound, proving the muzzle was about a foot away.
Late October 30 to November 1, 2021 - Cover-up and discovery
Quintanilla threatened Parra-Peralta and forced him to load the body into his car. They drove 130 miles to rural Salinas, where the remains were rolled down a hillside wrapped in a blanket. On November 1, Parra-Peralta, now cooperating with detectives, guided Monterey County deputies to the site.
On November 2, 2021, Arrests, Fairfield police booked Jessica Quintanilla for murder and arrested her brother, Marco Quintanilla, as an accessory; Parra-Peralta was held on an accessory count but later obtained immunity for his testimony. KCRA described the case as a suspected “love triangle” at the time.
Key trial revelations
In October 2024, Forensic evidence in court, during a five-week Solano County trial, a pathologist told jurors the bullet fractured Leilani Beauchamp’s skull “front to back in a downward direction,” reinforcing the prosecution’s intent theory as per the Mercury News report dated October 22, 2024. Parra-Peralta testified that Jessica threatened to kill him if he refused to help dispose of the body.
On November 20, 2024, Unanimous verdicts, after three days of deliberation, jurors convicted Jessica of first-degree murder and found firearm enhancements true; Marco was found guilty of accessory and illegal gun possession. Judge William Pendergast revoked Marco’s bail on the spot.
Victim-impact testimony
As per the Reporter's news report dated April 12, 2025, Lourdes Giovannini told the court,
“Leilani was my first grandchild. I was in the delivery room when she took her first breath of life. The pain from her loss — it’s unspeakable.”Sentencing and ongoing impact on January 17, 2025, Prison terms, Jessica received 25 years to life, while Marco drew four years. The court credited time already served but ordered lifelong parole supervision for Jessica. Defense lawyer William Welch continued to argue the gun was fired in the heat of passion, yet the judgment stood.
April 12, 2025, Restitution hearing
Judge Pendergast scheduled financial restitution for Leilani Beauchamp’s family and denied a motion to strike Marco’s prior felony. Family statements highlighted the lasting damage. According to the Reporter's news report dated April 12, 2025, the siblings’ actions “destroyed a dozen lives,”. As per the KCRA report dated November 2, 2021, the family issued a statement,
"Leilani was truly a blessing to us and her beloved friends. Leilani shared a very close relationship with her younger brother and sister who, after she ventured out to college, maintained daily communication with them."The statement continued,
We will miss her smile, her laugh, her caring demeanor, her strong will, her passion for life and the love she brought to our family. We love you Leilani."Mean Girl Murders revisits this timeline on June 23, 2025, framing how rivalry, jealousy, and a single trigger pull reshaped the futures of everyone connected to Leilani Beauchamp.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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Edited by Bharath S
English (US)