On the evening of April 2, 2021, a birthday gathering in Shreveport, Louisiana, ended in deadly violence when 49-year-old DaRon Robert Hardin Sr. was shot and killed while walking with his girlfriend, Jacqueline Lee. The couple had left the home of Ken Anderson after a brief dispute there; as they walked a few blocks along Singletary Street, a dark-colored sedan pulled up beside them and multiple shots were fired. Hardin was killed and Lee suffered a serious gunshot wound to her upper chest.

Shreveport Police investigators identified Michael Deon Riley as the primary suspect. Riley was already jailed on a parole violation when detectives added charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder on April 8, 2021. Jacqueline Lee identified Riley as the shooter, and a woman who was Riley’s then-girlfriend testified that he had confessed to the shooting.

A jury later convicted Michael Deon Riley on second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; the court imposed consecutive sentences including life for Hardin’s murder.