Arrest made in 2019 Arlington murder of Evan Lacey

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Evan Lacey, 19

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Arlington Police Department has made an arrest in connection with the December 2019 shooting death of Evan Lacey.

After a lengthy investigation, Arlington Police homicide detectives obtained an arrest warrant for 22-year-old Darnell Jones II on one count of murder. Jones was found in Chicago, Illinois on May 25, and taken into custody without incident, according to police. 

2019 Murder Suspect Arrested

The backstory:

Lacey was last seen by his family on the morning of December 17, 2019, when he left his home in Arlington. 

On December 21, 2019, Fort Worth Police found Lacey’s car abandoned with an extensive amount of blood inside.

Then, on January 3, 2020, a utility crew working in the 7100 block of Webb Ferrell Road found Lacey’s body dumped in a wooded area. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office determined his death was caused by a gunshot wound to the head.

Evan Lacey's body was found on Jan. 3, 2020 in the 7100 block of Webb Ferrell Rd.

The Investigation

Big picture view:

Detectives at the time reviewed cell phone records, which showed that two calls were placed between Lacey’s phone and another phone number the day he went missing. 

The number was later linked to Jones. Cell phone records also showed that the two phones were consistently together from December 17-18 at a location just over a mile from where Lacey’s body was found.

Additionally, after heavy media coverage of the murder, detectives received multiple tips indicating Jones may have been involved.

Multiple DNA samples collected from the car were sent to a lab for testing, police say. The results showed a mixture of DNA from Lacey and an unknown male.

Although detectives had also obtained a DNA swab from Jones, who was a person of interest, labs at the time showed the profile of the unknown male was not developed enough for comparison.

New DNA Technology

Homicide Detectives regularly speak to crime labs to learn about new advancements in forensic technologies and determine whether they could potentially help solve cases. 

In March 2025, detectives met with a lab that believed it could separate out the DNA mixture from the samples in this case and provide a profile for the unknown male that would be sufficient for comparison. 

In April 2025, the lab isolated a profile from the car samples that was a match to Jones.

What they're saying:

"Our detectives hit many roadblocks throughout this investigation, but they never gave up," said Chief of Police Al Jones. "I’m proud of the outstanding police work they did and the proactive measures they took to identify the new technologies that ultimately helped us solve this case. It’s my hope that this news provides Mr. Lacey’s family with some relief and some semblance of closure that I know they’ve desperately waited for."

What's next:

Jones now awaits extradition to Tarrant County. Arlington Police say has declined to speak to detectives.

FOX 4 News has reached out to the Chicago Police Department and the Arlington Police Department for Jones's mugshot.