Naman Shrestha
A bright and ambitious 19-year-old woman named Leilani Beauchamp had a lot to look forward to in life, but fate had other plans. In Investigation Discovery’s ‘Mean Girl Murders: Full Throttle Murder,’ the focus is on the brutal and unexpected killing of Leilani in the Halloween week of 2021. The swift investigation led the detectives to the perpetrator responsible for the murder, allowing them to bring the perpetrator to justice. The documentary also features exclusive and in-depth interviews with the loved ones of Leilani and officials linked to the investigation.
Leilani Beauchamp Was Found Dead in Monterey County
Born in the early 2000s, Leilani Marie Beauchamp was raised in El Dorado Hills and Folsom alongside her brother, Anthony, and sister, Sierrah. She attended Rolling Hills Middle School and then Folsom High School before going to Carmel High School as she relocated to Monterey with her family. Besides focusing on her academics, she also spent time on her passions, which included art, music, makeup, and design. Her fearless and ambitious nature allowed her to dream big in life. With dreams of pursuing cosmetology and starting her own YouTube channel about greenhouses, Leilani was attending college in San Jose, California. Given her kind and compassionate nature, her friends and family were devastated when she met her untimely demise. She was last seen at a Halloween party in Sacramento on October 30, 2021.
When her loved ones couldn’t get in touch with her, they filed a missing persons report with the Fairfield Police Department. Their worst nightmare became reality the following evening, around 5:30 pm, when the detectives discovered Leilani’s remains in the 300 block of Corral De Tierra Road in Salinas. The cause of her death was determined to be a fatal gunshot wound. Following her passing, the Beauchamp family released 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. 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.”
Leilani Beauchamp’s Boyfriend’s Past Was Responsible For Her Death
During the investigation, the detectives interviewed Leilani Beauchamp’s friends and family to retrace her steps on the day she went missing. They learned that she had attended a Halloween party on October 30 and left with a couple of active-duty Air Force airmen, including Juan Parra-Peralta, whom she had been dating at the time. She went to their house in the 2900 block of Cascade Lane in Fairfield, where she was in bed with Juan when she was reportedly ambushed by his former girlfriend, Jessica Quintanilla. Jessica landed the fatal shot at Leilani and allegedly threatened Juan into helping her eliminate the evidence and dispose of the remains. The two placed the remains in Juan’s car, drove down to San Jose, and purchased a shovel and a few other items before disposing of the remains in Salinas.
The following day, they returned to the crime scene at the Cascade Lane house to clean up the bedroom. They collected the evidence they could find and got rid of it while driving to different dumpsters in Vallejo. When Marco Quintanilla, Jessica’s brother, arrived at his sister’s apartment, he learned about the crime she had committed. Soon, on October 31, after searching the crime scene and finding evidence, the police arrested Jessica for murder near the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Linscheid Drive in Fairfield. Since her brother also knew about the murder, they took Marco into custody for an accessory to murder charge. Juan Parra-Peralta was also arrested for his involvement in the killing. However, Juan agreed to testify against the other two accomplices and was granted immunity in return.
Jessica Quintanilla is Seemingly Serving Her Sentence at a California Prison
In November 2021, Jessica Quintanilla and her brother, Marco, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and decided to take their chances in court. About three years after Leilani Beauchamp’s passing, the Quintanillas stood trial on October 15, 2024. During the trial, the prosecution presented several pieces of evidence against Jessica that incriminated her for murder. Meanwhile, Jessica and her defense argued that the shooting was an accident. She claimed that she went to her ex-boyfriend’s place to pick up some of her clothing and money. According to her, the shooting occurred when Juan confronted her with a gun when she was trying to get out of the bedroom.
A struggle allegedly ensued between Jessica and Juan, which led to the trigger being pulled and the bullet firing at Leilani’s head. However, Juan testified and told a completely different story about how he was threatened and made to help her clean the crime scene and dispose of the remains at gunpoint. In November 2024, Jessica Quintanilla was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the death of 19-year-old Leilani Beauchamp. Meanwhile, her brother, Marco Quintanilla, was convicted of accessory after the fact and possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon. A couple of months later, on January 17, 2025, Jessica was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison while Marco received a four-year imprisonment sentence. She appears to be incarcerated at a California prison facility.
