Salt Life Co-Founder Michael Hutto Confesses To killing His Teen Girlfriend Lora Grace Duncan

Fishing line, Salt Life co-founder Michael Hutto has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by Circuit Judge Cymonue Rowe, after he confessed to the murder of the 18-year-old, Lord Grace Duncan in October 2020. He pleaded guilty to “accidentally” murdering his girlfriend with a firearm, after two and a half years of the incident.

Grace’s body was found on 29 October 2020,  lying on the floor of the bathroom of Hilton Singer Island oceanfront resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

According to ‌reports, Hucco and Duncan met at a gym where the 18-year-old worked and Hucco was undergoing physical therapy after an accident earlier. Hutto was 54 years old when he began dating Grace.

Why Michael Hutto Killed Her Girlfriend Lora Grace Duncan?

His attorney Doney Jr. Murrell stated that “He loved Grace Duncan”, despite their age difference and the nature of the relationship. Hucco was already married and the father of four children.

Although, her parents were not comfortable with their relationship. They filed a missing person case with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office on October 26, 2020, after she sent them a message saying that she was traveling with Michael Hutto. The 18-year-old reported to her parents that she was traveling with Hutto to Daytona Beach to meet Hutto’s associates, hoping to open a new business line.

Police responded to the missing case and called Grace during their visit to Grace’s house. She disagreed that she was missing. However, authorities analyzed that she was manipulated by Hucco as she sounded strange as could be under the influence of drugs.

In an attempt to search for her whereabouts; The sheriff’s office alerted nationwide with a lookout notice for Grace Duncan. Later, she again called her parents to tell them that they were headed for the Keys.

Whereabouts were found when the employees of the Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront Hotel revealed to the police that a man named Hutto missed the checkout time. The staff escorted him to his room. As they knocked on the door they could smell some strange scent from the room. As they went in, they found the body of Duncan, lying in ‌a pool of dry blood.

In addition, the officers found marijuana in the room and Hutto had already fled from the location. He was found in a hospital in Jacksonville. According to a witness, Hutto was pulling into a gas station making “delusional comments and twitching,“ which indicates that she was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Furthermore, during the court session, Murrell stated that he didn’t know why he pulled out the gun in the first place, and he believed that Hutto fired it by accident and was under the influence of drugs.

Also Read: Pennsylvania Teen Arrested For Murder Following Instagram Confession Video 

According to investigators, Hutto told them that they were “playing” shooting inside the room until his real gun accidentally fired. Neither Murrell nor Hutto could figure out why Huttio pulled out the real gun when they were playing with their fingers.

Reports suggest that during the sentencing, Michael Hutto wept again after hearing the statement written by Duncan’s family, read aloud by Assistant State Attorney Jo Wilkensy. Murrell also admitted that it was painful to hear. He added that this accident by Hutto is an ultimate loss for both Duncan and Hutto’s family. 

Hutto had been experiencing the trauma ever since her death; even when he was confronted at the Jacksonville, he realized that he had hurt Grace. This indicates that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and he did not have any sense when he pulled the gun and shot in her stomach.