Man Killed Girlfriend in AutoZone Lot, Then Took Walk for “Change in Scenery"

A man in Ohio was sentenced for more than a decade in prison after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter of his girlfriend in an Auto Zone parking lot on February 2. He fatally shot his girlfriend before taking a walk. The man mentioned in court that he had to take a walk because he wanted “a change in scenery.”

Darien Hobley, 22, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter as well as tampering with evidence on February 2. This was in connection with the shooting of his 20-year-old girlfriend, Riley Jones, in the parking lot of an Auto Zone store in Bedford, on August 4, 2025. Hobley fired the fatal shot at Jones from his car inside the parking lot.

As per court reports, reported by local NBC affiliate WKYC, during Hobley’s sentencing on February 24, he said “didn’t want to hurt her”, and apologized to Jones' family. He had initially pleaded “not guilty”. However, earlier in February, after accepting a plea deal, he reduced his charges to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 8 to 10 1/2 years in prison, with two years of parole to follow.

According to WKYC, surveillance cameras captured the moments leading up to the shooting. The footage showed Jones following Hobley into the Auto Zone parking lot in her car.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Hollie Gallagher, recounted the events in court, saying Jones blocked Hobley’s vehicle. Jones, when she got out of the car appeared "visibly upset”. She then walked over to Hobley’s car and opened the driver’s side front door.

“The door opens and she leans into the car, and moments later shots are fired, and Jones is seen on the ground," Gallagher said. Jones sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

According to reports of a local Fox affiliate WJW, a witness called 911 after the shooting and reported seeing Hobley standing with a gun over Jones. “I am at the Bedford Auto Zone parking lot, and I just saw a man shoot a girl. I heard the gun shot and stepped around the truck, and he is standing there over her with the gun,” the caller said.

Hobley told the court that he got scared when Jones reached for the gun. “I just had the gun there, not to hurt her or hurt anybody,” Hobley said.

“Jones reached for the gun and I got scared. I tried to help, but I didn't know what to do. Everything was overwhelming. I just walked away. I just needed a new scenery,” he said.

Gallagher, before announcing the sentence, said “This is why people of Mr. Hobley’s age shouldn’t have a weapon. They are not functioning on all cylinders yet. This is a really tragic case. It's just awful.”