A Texas man has been arrested for a 2016 murder, more than nine years after an 18-year-old was gunned down following a house party confrontation.
Lebraxton Brown, 32, was taken into custody last month and charged with murdering Michael Hartley in Arlington.
The arrest represents a breakthrough in a cold case that had stalled for almost a decade.
On January 9, 2016, a homeowner discovered Hartley’s body in a backyard on Brady Court. The teenager had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators learned Hartley attended a house party the previous evening. There, he encountered people he had been feuding with before the gathering.
When Hartley left the party, another vehicle followed him. Police believe Hartley eventually stopped near Brady Court and confronted his pursuers.
During that confrontation, a suspect shot Hartley multiple times. The wounded teenager fled but collapsed in the yard, where his body was later discovered.
Brown emerged as a possible suspect during the initial investigation. However, the case went cold as years passed without an arrest.
This October, homicide detectives revisited the case file. They corroborated witness statements and consulted with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
Their work resulted in a murder warrant for Brown. The U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force located him in Irving on October 25.
Brown was arrested without incident and transferred to the Tarrant County Jail. His bond has been set at $2 million.
The case is now being referred to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Nearly a decade after Hartley’s death, his family may finally see their day in court.