Police identify Lithonia hotel murder suspect

Police have have identified the man accused of shooting and killing a homeless man inside a hotel.

DeKalb Police arrested Tito Ivey, 35, at the Hyatt Place hotel.  Officers responded to a report of a person shot at the hotel near Stonecrest Mall around 3:00 Sunday morning.  When they arrived they found Franklin Jones, 32, dead in an interior hallway.

Ivey told police he shot Jones because he thought Jones was going to rob him, but according to investigators, there was no evidence to support Ivey's story.  Officers said Jones was not armed and they did not see any signs of a struggle.

Jennifer Liggons, who said she was Jones's longtime girlfriend, said they had recently become homeless and were staying a the hotel because of the kindness of strangers.  Liggons said she and Jones had three children together. 

Ivey is charged with murder.