Man accused in Lake City teen’s death said he was playing with gun before shooting: police

LAKE CITY, Fla. – An arrest report from the Riviera Beach Police Department is revealing new details about the shooting death of an 18-year-old woman from Lake City.

The man charged in her death, 54-year-old Troy Hutto, is now in Palm Beach County facing multiple charges.

In a newly released affidavit, he was identified as Grace Duncan’s boyfriend.

According to the report, Hutto told police he pointed a gun at Duncan in the hotel room before she died.

Duncan’s father told police she left town with Hutto, her boyfriend, the report shows. Duncan’s father then called police, asking to do a welfare check after not hearing from her for 48 hours. He believed Hutto was giving Duncan drugs to keep her sedated, according to the affidavit. Duncan’s father told police that the last time he spoke with her, she sounded out of character.

The report shows Duncan’s father was able to track her location from her phone, showing she was at the hotel. Police found her body in an oceanfront hotel room in Riviera Beach. Hutto was gone, but he left his wallet, phone and identification inside the room.

The affidavit said Hutto was eventually found at a gas station in St. Augustine after overdosing in his car. He was taken to Baptist South in Jacksonville where he was arrested.

While in the hospital, detectives reported that Hutto said something along the lines of “Oh my God. I think I hurt my Gracie,” before he began to cry.

Grace Duncan (Photo by Esta Eberhardt of Captured Memories by Esta)

When questioned by detectives, the affidavit said, Hutto told police he and Duncan were playing inside the hotel room as if they were shooting with their finger and gun. He told detectives he pointed a gun at Gracie while she was sitting on the bathroom counter. The gun then went off and a bullet struck her, according to the report.

According to the affidavit, Hutto told detectives he left the room with the gun and his medications inside a black Adidas bag that was found inside his car.

Hutto is one of the co-founders of the Salt Life brand but hasn’t been involved with the company in 2013.

Hutto is charged with manslaughter and possession or use of a weapon.


About the Author

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.

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