A Tarrant County judge yesterday handed 32-year-old Darius Brown a 15-year prison sentence for the 2022 killing of his sister’s boyfriend, 40-year-old Donald Hunt, closing the book on a deadly argument that turned an Arlington apartment complex into a crime scene.
The shooting happened on Aug. 26, 2022, in the 2100 block of Cypress Club Drive, where officers found Hunt with an apparent gunshot wound, according to the Arlington Police Department. An arrest-warrant affidavit reviewed by The Dallas Morning News states that Brown’s sister told investigators she and Hunt had argued before Brown arrived, and a neighbor reported hearing four gunshots and seeing someone run from the building. Those witness accounts and the affidavit became central pieces of the investigative puzzle.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells confirmed the 15-year sentence, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Court documents cited in that reporting allege Brown fired multiple shots at Hunt before fleeing, and those filings have anchored the prosecution’s case file from early on.
What the law says
Under Texas law, murder is usually punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison, while manslaughter is typically a second-degree felony that carries a potential two to 20 years, according to the Texas Penal Code as published by Justia. That statutory spread helps explain how a 15-year term can result from differing homicide charges or plea agreements, landing closer to the middle of the range rather than at either extreme.
Arrest and case timeline
Officers first responded to the Cypress Club Drive apartment on Aug. 26, 2022, and found Hunt dead at the scene, the Arlington Police Department wrote in its release. Witness statements and the arrest affidavit describe an argument that escalated into gunfire. Brown was later tracked down by the U.S. Marshals' North Texas Fugitive Task Force and taken into custody on Sept. 3, 2022, according to CBS DFW.
