In the small city of Jordan, Minnesota, a grim discovery was made on the afternoon of January 28, 2025, bringing a sense of unease to the community. The body of 46-year-old Tabitha Renee Justice, a female resident, was found on a vacant residential property in the 200 block of Quaker Avenue. Her death was not of natural causes; an investigation by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office would later reveal she died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and her case was officially ruled
a homicide. Tabitha had been reported missing to law enforcement shortly before her body was located in an outbuilding on the property.
Friends and family had been searching for Tabitha since before Christmas of the previous year. She was described as a beautiful and funny woman who had relocated to Minnesota from Florida to be closer to her children and grandchildren. The property where she was found was owned by Bobby & Steve's Auto World and was slated to be sold to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for a highway exit makeover. It was noted that at least one of Tabitha's family members had previously rented the home on the property until July 2023.
For months, the investigation into Tabitha's death continued, with the Jordan Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension actively seeking leads and asking the public for any information. The community was left with questions and a sense of unresolved justice. Then, in May 2025, a significant breakthrough was announced. Authorities arrested 41-year-old John Joseph Peterson and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with Tabitha's death.
Court documents began to paint a clearer, more tragic picture of Tabitha's final days. Friends of Tabitha told investigators she had been in a relationship with Peterson, who was also known by the name "Nico." They described the relationship as tumultuous, with Peterson being controlling and physically aggressive. It was alleged that he had kicked her out of his home but continued to follow her. Investigators learned that Peterson had taken a bus to Hovland, Minnesota, shortly after the last time he claimed to have seen Tabitha, which was a few days before Christmas. A search of a residence in Hovland in April led to Peterson's arrest on a probation violation. During that arrest, a 9mm handgun was found in a backpack he was carrying. Ballistic testing later confirmed that shell casings found at the murder scene matched those from the handgun found in Peterson's possession, and his fingerprints were also found on the weapon's grip.
