Three people on trial for pimping out teen, three trials

June 18, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

Three people accuses of pimping out a previously missing 15-year-old girl from Nevada in San Luis Obispo County are headed to trial, each with their own jury. This is the first case with three juries in the county.

Prosecutors say the trio of suspects – Joshua Diante Murphy, 30, of Madera; Tipton Heather Lynne Hunt, 32, of Tipton and Tremaine Quincy Tejon Jones, 31, of Bakersfield – conspired to traffic the teen and distribute child pornography.

On Jan. 26, 2024, the San Luis Obispo County Counter Human Trafficking Team, CHP officers and FBI agents were answering online sex ads as apart of a statewide effort to curb sex trafficking. Detectives answered a sex ad in which the female appeared in her photograph to be under the age of 18, according to the SLO County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives arranged a meeting with the female under the pretense it would be a “date.” The female arrived and investigators detained her. After significant investigation, detectives determined the female was a 15-year-old missing and at-risk girl from Nevada.

Investigators also identified a male suspect in the area, who based on his behavior, was possibly a trafficker of the girl. The suspect realized he was being surveilled by law enforcement and attempted to flee, but officers located him.

Detectives determined Murphy was connected to the girl, but released him because probable cause for his arrest did not exist at the time.

A subsequent investigation led detectives to believe Murphy conspired with Tipton and Jones to traffic the 15-year-old girl and distribute child pornography. The Counter Human Trafficking Team then worked with the SLO County District Attorney’s Office to seek criminal filings against

The defense is arguing that text messages will show that Murphy, Hunt and Jones thought the teen was an adult.