Arrest made nine years after deadly Arlington shooting

ARLINGTON, Texas - Nearly nine years after an 18-year-old man was fatally shot following a house party, police have arrested a suspect in connection with the 2016 Arlington homicide.

2016 Arlington Homicide

Lebraxton Brown, 32, was arrested last month on one count of murder in the death of Michael Hartley, according to the Arlington Police Department.

The backstory:

Hartley was found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds in the backyard of a home in the 4800 block of Brady Court on the morning of Jan. 9, 2016. The homeowner discovered the body around 7:50 a.m., and Hartley was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives determined Hartley had attended a house party the previous evening where he encountered individuals he had been feuding with. When Hartley drove away from the party, another vehicle began following him.

RELATED STORY: Arlington homeowner finds man shot to death in backyard

Investigators believe Hartley eventually stopped his vehicle near Brady Court, got out, and confronted the occupants of the other car. During the confrontation, a suspect pulled out a gun and shot Hartley multiple times. Hartley ran from the scene before collapsing in the yard where he was later found.

During the initial investigation, Brown was identified as a possible suspect.

The Latest:

In October 2025, current homicide detectives reviewed the cold case, corroborated witness details, and in consultation with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, obtained a murder warrant for Brown's arrest.

Brown was located and taken into custody without incident by the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force in Irving on Oct. 25, 2025. The case has now been turned over to the District Attorney's Office.

A bond has been set for $2,000,000, as Brown is currently being held in the Tarrant County Jail.

Local perspective:

Former spokesman for Arlington Police Department's then-lieutenant Christopher Cook spoke to FOX 4 about the investigation in its early stages. 

"It’s not uncommon to receive shot-fired calls or fireworks calls late at night, and so we weren’t able to locate the victim at that point and didn’t even know anyone was shot," said Cooke. "Around 7:30 in the morning, the homeowner goes out in the backyard and says, ‘Hey there’s a man in my yard’, we get there and obviously this victim’s deceased."

Arlington police still have yet to reveal some of the missing details, including how they managed to track down Brown and connect him to the murder.