Weather 
Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman’s stepson Gregory Zecca is facing life behind bars if convicted of aggravated manslaughter after fatally shooting his teenage son.
Florida’s Collier County Sheriff’s Office posted an update on the July 2025 incident via Facebook on Tuesday, February 3, stating that Zecca accidentally shot his child, Anthony, 13, in the family’s Naples, Florida, apartment while allegedly under the influence of alcohol. Local Southwest Florida news outlet WINK News was first to report on the update.
Per the Sheriff’s Office, Zecca, 39, was taken into custody “on a warrant for aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence,” which could result in a life sentence.
A Collier County police investigation into Zecca, who is the son of Dog’s wife, Francie Chapman, from a previous marriage, found that Zecca allegedly “consumed alcohol over several hours at a local establishment, purchased more alcohol, and later used both alcohol and marijuana at a friend’s residence.”
Zecca and his son were “watching a UFC fight on TV at the time.”
Law enforcement also reported that Zecca “repeatedly handled a firearm in his son’s presence, practicing drawing it from his waistband and dry-firing.” The firearm had “initially been made safe by removing the magazine and clearing a live round from the chamber.”
Further detail stated that the magazine was put back into the firearm before Zecca “discharged a single shot” that struck Anthony.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk stated in the update that the event “was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been sentenced to five years in prison for attempted murder. Velasquez, 42, received the sentence in a Santa Clara, California, courtroom on Monday, March 24. The decorated MMA star was present for the sentencing alongside members of his family. Judge Arthur Bolcanegra issued the sentence with 1,283 days […]
Rambosk added, “Our detectives conducted an exhaustive and thorough investigation, examining every element of what happened through witness statements, forensic testing, subpoenas, search warrants, and more.”
Police officials also noted that deputies who arrived at the scene “detected the odor of alcohol on Zecca and observed marijuana in plain view.”
A subsequent toxicology report estimated Zecca’s “blood-alcohol concentration to be approximately 0.116 at the time of the shooting, above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.”
Zecca was placed on a psychiatric hold following the shooting. A family representative told TMZ one day after the incident occurred that Zecca was “under observation on a 5150 hold,” which meant that he had been involuntarily detained for 72 hours after being deemed “a danger to themselves, to others, or gravely disabled,” per Clear Behavior Health.
Former Bachelorette star DeAnna Pappas celebrated her son Austin’s 9th birthday following her recent arrest. “Baby Austin gets me every time,” Pappas, 43, captioned a throwback photo of her son via her Instagram Story on Sunday, March 16. A second image showed Austin sitting in front of an Oreo-covered birthday cake while blowing out a […]
The rep also told the outlet at the time that the hold was instigated because Zecca was “overcome with grief” and not because he felt guilty of a crime.
Dog released a statement via the outlet in the shooting’s aftermath. “We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible tragic accident and would ask for continued prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony,” Dog and Francie both wrote at the time.
Zecca also disabled his Instagram account after the incident. Prior to the account’s disappearance, Zecca had posted photos of himself with Anthony, including one image that showed the pair at a shooting range.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
