On July 1, 2020, 18-year-old Jacquice Baylock, a promising sophomore and football player for Iowa Central Community College, was tragically shot and killed in Gary, Indiana. The young man from Lynwood, Illinois, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the 1800 block of Taney Place around 6:40 p.m. and was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after.
Baylock was remembered by his coach as a great kid with a bright future, who was expected back in Fort Dodge just days after his murder.
The investigation into Baylock's death revealed a sinister plot born out of jealousy. A 19-year-old woman, Jazmin Jazell Garcia, confessed to police that she had lured Baylock to Gary at the behest of her jealous boyfriend. Garcia stated that her boyfriend had spoken of killing Baylock on several occasions and threatened her life if she did not comply with his demands to bring Baylock to a pre-determined location in Gary. On the evening of the murder, Garcia was given a stolen car and instructed to text Baylock to lure him from his home.
As Garcia and Baylock arrived at the location near a former middle school, her boyfriend, along with at least three other men, followed in another stolen vehicle. Two men from the second car, one of whom was Garcia's boyfriend, approached Baylock and shot him multiple times. As Baylock attempted to flee, he dropped a significant amount of cash, which the assailants then took. Garcia was pulled into her boyfriend's car during the shooting, and the group fled the scene, reportedly laughing about the murder on their way back to Illinois.
The investigation led to the implication of five individuals in connection with the murder. Charges were filed against Jazmin Garcia for murder. Additionally, Jason D. Hinton, 25, and LeQuan Tolliver, 19, both from Chicago Heights, were also charged. In August 2022, Jason Hinton was convicted of murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury following a two-day bench trial. His conviction also included a firearms enhancement, which carried the potential for an additional 5 to 20 years in prison.
