Background: News footage of Darien Hobley speaking at his sentencing hearing on Feb. 24 (WKYC). Inset: Riley Jones (GoFundMe).
An Ohio man who admitted to fatally shooting his girlfriend in an AutoZone parking lot will spend close to a decade in prison.
Darien Hobley, 22, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence on Feb. 2 in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend, 20-year-old Riley Jones. The couple were in the parking lot of an AutoZone store in Bedford on Aug. 4, 2025, when Hobley fired the fatal shot at Jones from his car. According to courtroom reporting by local NBC affiliate WKYC during Hobley”s sentencing on Tuesday, the convicted killer told the court he “didn’t want to hurt her” and apologized to Jones’ family.
WKYC reported that surveillance cameras captured the moments leading up to the shooting, when Jones followed Hobley into the AutoZone parking lot in her car. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Hollie Gallagher recounted the events in court, saying that Jones blocked Hobley’s vehicle. Appearing “visibly upset,” Jones got out of her car and walked over to Hobley’s car, then opened his driver’s side front door.
Gallagher said, “The door opens, and she leans in the car. And within seconds, a shot’s fired and she’s on the ground.” Jones sustained one gunshot wound to the chest. She was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
According to reporting by local Fox affiliate WJW, a witness called 911 after the shooting and said Hobley was “standing there over [Jones] with the gun.”
Hobley told the court that Jones “reached for” his gun and he “got scared.” He said, “I tried to help, but I didn’t know what to do. And everything was so overwhelming. I just walked away. I just needed a new scenery.”
Before issuing a sentence, Gallagher said, “This is why people Mr. Hobley’s age shouldn’t have a weapon. They are not operating on all cylinders yet. This is a really tragic, tragic case. It’s just awful.”
Hobley was sentenced to 8 to 10 1/2 years in prison plus two years of parole upon release.
