Arlington police say more than five years after a teen was shot to death, his killer has been found and is finally in custody.
The body of 19-year-old Evan Lacey was discovered on Webb Ferrell Road in Mansfield in early 2020.
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WATCH HEREPolice say after a breakthrough in DNA evidence, 22-year-old Darnell Jones has been charged with murder.
On Wednesday, Arlington police said detectives have cracked a murder investigation they’ve been following for half a decade.
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SIGN UP “They’re always seeking to find justice for families, and we’re glad that we can close another one and bring justice,” said Sgt. Alex Rosado with Arlington police.
In December 2019, 19-year-old Evan Lacey was reported missing.
Four days later, his car was discovered abandoned, and the interior was covered in blood.
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In January 2020, utility workers found Lacey dead of a gunshot wound to the head.
His family called on the killer to come forward.
“Just do it, just do it, he didn’t deserve this,” said Vivian Lacey, the victim’s sister. “Just be clean, do yourself that favor, just come clean.”
No immediate arrest was made.
Arlington police said cellphone data showed Lacey appeared to be with then-17-year-old Darnell Jones the night he disappeared.
But at the time, officers couldn’t get a match for Jones’s DNA from inside Lacey’s car.
Earlier this year, Arlington police had a breakthrough.
“Detectives had met with a company that did some DNA research,” Rosado said. “And they were able to use the blood that we had available to us and link our suspect to the crime.”
New technology matched the DNA inside the car to Jones. On Sunday, Jones was arrested in Chicago and is now charged with murder.
“We work really hard to bring justice to families,” Rosado said. “And in this case, we’re happy to report that the Lacey family will have a little bit of closure in this case.”
NBC 5 reached out to Lacey’s family for a reaction to the arrest. They say they’re planning to speak out soon about the case.
