Last week, we reported that Gregory Zecca, the stepson of Duane “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman, had been arrested and charged with manslaughter for allegedly fatally shooting his own 13 year-old son. On Tuesday, Dog broke down in tears in court as Zecca faced a judge for the first time.
Dog Cries In Court
Gregory, 39, appeared in a Collier County courtroom yesterday for a pretrial hearing. There, he was ordered to be held on a $500,000 bond for a manslaughter charge in connection with the death of his 13 year-old son Anthony Zecca in July of last year.
Images from the hearing show Gregory wearing an orange jail uniform. Dog, 73, and his wife Francie Frane, 54, could be seen listening quietly throughout the proceedings. As the hearing continued, Dog appeared to wipe away tears as he was overcome with emotion.
Gregory Arrested
This hearing came exactly one week after Gregory was arrested. Police took Gregory into custody after determining that he had been drinking for several hours and was also under the influence of marijuana when he accidentally shot Anthony at a UFC watch party at a friend’s apartment in Naples, Florida on July 19.
Officers with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office had spent the last six months investigating this case thoroughly. Gregory is now facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.
“This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement obtained by Daily Mail.
Sheriff Rambosk went on to say that investigators “conducted an exhaustive and thorough investigation, examining every element of what happened through witness statements, forensic testing, subpoenas, search warrants and more.”
“I commend their hard work and professionalism in uncovering the facts in an incredibly difficult case,” he concluded.
Police determined that Gregory had been drinking for several hours and was also under the influence of marijuana when he accidentally shot Anthony at a UFC watch party at a friend’s apartment in Naples, Florida on July 19.
Officers with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office took Gregory into custody early Tuesday morning. They had spent the last six months investigating this case thoroughly.
“This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement obtained by Daily Mail.
Sheriff Rambosk went on to say that investigators “conducted an exhaustive and thorough investigation, examining every element of what happened through witness statements, forensic testing, subpoenas, search warrants and more.”
“I commend their hard work and professionalism in uncovering the facts in an incredibly difficult case,” he concluded.
Dog Stands By Gregory
After Gregory’s arrest, Dog responded through his attorney Joseph Lesniak. He stood by Gregory, saying that Anthony’s death “remains a devastating family tragedy.”
“We believe Greg loved his son deeply and that this was a tragic accident – one that has left many lives permanently changes, especially Anthony’s and Greg’s,” Dog’s lawyer continued.
Dog has been married to Gregory’s mother Francie since 2021. They bonded over their shared grief of losing their respective spouses to cancer. Dog had lost his beloved wife Beth Chapman to lung cancer in 2019. Meanwhile, Francie’s husband Bob had died of cancer six months before in December of 2018.
Watch Dog talk about his love for Francie in the video below.
As we previously reported, Gregory is facing spending life in prison if he is convicted. At the time of this writing, he remains in custody.