In 2021, Duane Chapman, who gained notoriety for his television program Dog the Bounty Hunter, wed Francie Chapman.
Gregory Zecca, Francie’s son, is accused of shooting and killing his teenage son Anthony over the weekend in a tragic incident.
Reports state that on July 19, a gunshot occurred at an apartment in Naples, Florida, which the family claims was an accident. According to TMZ, police verified that a shooting occurred on the day in question at approximately 8 p.m. and called it a “isolated incident.”
No arrests are believed to have been made as of yet, and the investigation is still underway.
Speaking to TMZ, Chapman’s spokesman addressed the unfortunate situation, saying, “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.”
Gregory, Anthony’s father, is the son of Francie’s former spouse. As they both mourned the loss of their spouses, she and Chapman found a connection.
Beth, Chapman’s wife of 13 years, died of cancer in June 2019. Six months before to the death of Beth, Francie’s late husband Bob also passed away from cancer.
“We understood the pain that the other one was feeling and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up,” Francie said in an Entertainment Tonight interview in 2020, discussing how their sadness brought them together.
“We could cry with each other and talk about what we were feeling. We were able to walk alongside each other through the pain and heartbreak and it brought us together in this amazing way.”
Francie continued to say of their late spouses: “We’re never going to leave Bob and Beth behind [or] forget about them. They’ll always be a part of us. We thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives with them and that’s not what happened and we were dealt a really hard hand.”
Chapman is the father of thirteen children from his six previous marriages, whom he shares with his former spouses.
He revealed that he had a secret son called Jon in 2023, making 13 children in total.
