Preliminary hearing set for Detroit man in Lexington murder case

Lexington police said a botched robbery might have led to the shooting death of Timothy Brown Jr. in January.

Devonte M. Hobbs, 21, of Detroit was charged with murder and first-degree robbery in connection to Brown’s death.

Brown, 23, was found the night of Jan. 12 with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of a McDonald’s at 1499 Russell Cave Road. He died about 10 minutes later.

A witness told police that Hobbs had met Brown at the McDonald’s parking lot “in an attempt to purchase narcotics” when he pulled a gun on Brown and demanded his property, according to court records.

The witness told police that Hobbs then shot Brown multiple times as Brown tried to drive away. The witness identified Hobbs as the shooter, according to records.

Brown’s fiancée, Kristina Stevens, told the Herald-Leader in January that he was a father of five girls younger than 5, was taking classes and trying to get off drugs.

“He was doing whatever he could to make sure the kids and his family were taken care of,” she said.

Hobbs was arrested last month by U.S. marshals in Michigan. He will appear in court for a preliminary hearing next Wednesday. Bond has not been set.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Preliminary hearing set for Detroit man in Lexington murder case."