Former Employee for "Buy & Trade Videogames" at the Grandview Mall, John was a geeky teenager who loved to help others and explore all sorts of media. John was considered a loner at school but didn't mind being labeled as such. He was friends with a few, such as Wilson Kent, whom he met during after-school detention for breaking the dress code by dressing up like Link from Legends of Zelda outside of Spirit Week. They bonded over their fascination with video games and music and have been friends ever since. He also managed to get a girlfriend named Stacy Adams despite most seeing it as an unlikely match as Stacy was cheer captain and John was a 'nobody.'

Everything changed when on one faithful day in November, two young boys armed with a makeshift firearm entered the store with the hopes of stealing valuable videogames, but their plan backfired when the weapon did more than incapacitate John, but kill him.