As reported by Fox 8 News, a 22-year-old Maple Heights man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in connection with the fatal shooting of his girlfriend outside an AutoZone in Bedford last year.
Darien Hobley was originally indicted on charges of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in the Aug. 4 shooting death of 20-year-old Riley Jones in the parking lot of the Broadway Avenue store. Although he initially pleaded not guilty, he later accepted a plea agreement reducing the charges to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.
On Feb. 24, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Hollie Gallagher sentenced Hobley to eight to 10½ years in prison, followed by two years of parole.
According to testimony presented in court, surveillance video showed Jones had followed Hobley’s vehicle to the store and blocked him in. After approaching his car and opening the door, shots were fired within seconds, and she collapsed in the parking lot. A 911 caller reported witnessing the shooting and seeing Hobley standing over Jones with a gun.
Hobley told the court that he carried the firearm regularly and claimed Jones reached toward it during the confrontation. He said he panicked and did not intend to harm her. He also acknowledged disposing of the weapon afterward, later admitting to police that he threw the gun into a nearby sewer. The firearm, described as a privately made “ghost gun,” was recovered by officers.
Hobley surrendered to police shortly after the incident and was held on bond pending trial. During sentencing, he expressed remorse for Jones’ death.
