California man suspected in killing left his ID at scene, police say

A man arrested in connection with a homicide last summer was identified because police said he left his driver’s license at the scene of the crime.

Jonathan Appling, 41, was arrested Friday and booked on one count of murder and one count of discharging a gun into an occupied structure, according to jail records.

Appling is accused of fatally shooting Robert Huff, 33, on July 13, outside Huff’s apartment on the 1700 block of Karen Avenue, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department released Monday.

Police believe Appling was the boyfriend of one of three women who were moving out of Huff’s apartment when an argument ensued. One of the women, who police said was arrested in January and accused of harboring a felon in connection with the case, said Appling was at the apartment complex that day but she denied seeming him fire at Huff.

Appling’s phone records showed dozens of calls on the day of the shooting, all which helped detectives locate his phone as it pinged in the area of the shooting, according to the arrest report.

Appling claimed his partner carried his ID, and she dropped it while helping the other woman move out of the complex. He denied being there to help.

Gun casings found at the scene, from a .40 caliber, matched bullets found in Appling’s car when he was pulled over in August, but police did not issue a warrant in connection with this case until Feb. 7.

Metro detectives referenced a 2006 conviction for cocaine sales in California that made Appling a registered felon, banning him from carrying a gun.

He is being held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center and is scheduled for a hearing Monday.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.