A 28-year-old man pleaded guilty to vehicle manslaughter with gross negligence in the 2024 hit-and-run death of a woman near the San Joaquin Delta College campus.
Jamaraqui Burks withdrew his previous not guilty plea during a hearing Wednesday before entering the plea.
Burks was arrested in October 2024 in connection with the hit-and-run death of 23-year-old Jazmine Floris on Oct. 24, 2024.
Floris, who used they/them pronouns, was walking their service dog near San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton when they were struck by a Tesla.
The case was previously scheduled to begin a two-day preliminary hearing on Tuesday. However, on the day of the preliminary hearing, Burks’ attorney Denise Pereira filed a motion to disqualify San Joaquin County Superior Judge John Soldati.
The hearing continued into Wednesday morning, when both attorneys reached a resolution.
At the hearing, Burks wore a face mask as he sat next to his attorney. His family was seated behind him. On the other side of the courtroom were Floris’ mother, sister and family members.
During the hearing, prosecutor Cameron Sheron said a report generated by the Tesla showed Burks was driving more than 90 mph in the seconds before the crash that killed Floris.
Floris was taken to a hospital, where they died from their injuries.
Burks allegedly fled the scene on foot and ran onto the Delta College campus, where he was arrested by campus police.
As Burks answered, “uh guilty” to the first count, members of Floris’ family could be heard crying in the Stockton courtroom.
With the plea, Burks also admitted an aggravating factor and received one strike on his criminal record.
The state’s Three Strikes law went into effect in 1994. The law requires, among other things, a minimum sentence of 25 years to life for repeat offenders convicted of a third serious or violent felony, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Burks, who remains out on bail and under GPS monitoring, is set to return to court at 9 a.m. on July 6 for sentencing and victim impact statements. The hearing is scheduled to last two hours.
Just before the hearing concluded, San Joaquin County Superior Judge Seth R. Hoyt said he wanted a moment to address both families.
“I know this is very emotional for both families and there’s no winners here,” Hoyt said. “We have someone who lost their life, you have someone going to prison who has no prior record.”
He said he knew everyone in attendance was emotional and might not be happy with the outcome of the hearing.
Hoyt said that from the victim’s standpoint, the family probably wanted a life sentence, but that could not happen because of the way the law is written.
He said from the defense standpoint they probably hoped for mental health diversion or probation.
“The reality is, Mr. Burks made some decisions that day that put him in this position,” Hoyt said, referring to the defense’s argument about mental health.
However, Hoyt said that the resolution in the case allowed both families to avoid the trauma of experiencing a preliminary hearing or a trial.
“It’s traumatic for everyone involved,” Hoyt said.
Following the hearing, Gina Floris, Floris’ mother, said that after Burks took the plea, some of the weight she had been carrying since her daughter’s death had been lifted from her heart.
“It’s not so heavy. I didn’t want to hear … I didn’t want all the gory details,” Floris’ mother said.
Lillianna Herring, Floris’ sister who has continued to advocate for justice after her sister’s death, said the family finally has a date where they know Burks will be taken into custody.
“We no longer have to worry about running into him in public … after that date, at least for two to three years, he won’t be a constant thought in the back of our head … we don’t have to watch our backs when we are out in the community,” Herring said.
Herring said she does not believe grieving for her sister will begin until the family knows Burks is in custody.
Floris’ mother said Burks took a soul from this world that wanted to do nothing but good and help people, something she said he can never make up for.
“He can’t make up for the light in this world she was,” Floris’ mother said.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Jamaraqui Burks pleads guilty to 2024 hit-and-run death of Stockton woman
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
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