Dog the Bounty Hunter displayed visible emotion in a Florida courtroom while seated next to his wife, Francie Chapman. They attended the hearing for her son, Gregory Zecca, who is facing charges related to the tragic shooting of his 13-year-old son.
On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, the 39-year-old Zecca stood before a judge in Collier County for a pretrial detention hearing. The court decided to hold him on a $500,000 bond under a manslaughter charge.
Zecca, the stepson of Dog the Bounty Hunter and Francie’s biological son, appeared in the courtroom wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, maintaining a somber disposition throughout the legal proceedings.
Both Dog the Bounty Hunter and Chapman sat silently as the hearing progressed, absorbing the weight of the situation.
This courtroom appearance follows Zecca’s arrest in Florida, which took place a week prior. He faces charges connected to the fatal shooting of his teenage son, Anthony, a tragedy that occurred over the summer in Naples.
The court appearance comes one week after Zecca was arrested in Florida for the fatal shooting of his teenage son, Anthony, which occurred over the summer in Naples.
According to investigators, Zecca had allegedly been drinking for several hours on July 19 while handling a firearm in his son’s presence.
Dog the Bounty Hunter appeared visibly emotional as he sat beside his wife in a Florida courtroom while her son, Gregory Zecca, faced a judge in connection with the fatal shooting of his 13-year-old son
He is now facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence.
Authorities have said Zecca could face the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
‘This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,’ Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement announcing the charges.
He added that detectives ‘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,’ Rambosk said.
According to the investigation, Zecca had been drinking at a local establishment for several hours before purchasing additional alcohol.
Authorities allege he later continued drinking and using marijuana while watching a UFC fight with his son at a friend’s house, Naples Daily News reported.
While there, officers say Zecca ‘repeatedly handled a firearm in the child’s presence, practicing drawing it from his waistband and dry-firing,’ according to a warrant obtained by TMZ.
Zecca, 39, appeared in a Collier County courtroom on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, for a pretrial detention hearing, where he was ordered to be held on a $500,000 bond for a manslaughter charge
Gregory Zecca, 39, is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence in connection with his son Anthony’s untimely death
The warrant stated that the firearm had initially been rendered safe by removing the magazine and clearing a live round from the chamber.
However, investigators allege that ‘at some point, the magazine was reinserted and a round chambered, and Gregory discharged a single shot, fatally striking the child.’
When sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene around 8 p.m., they noted that Zecca smelled of alcohol and observed marijuana nearby.
Detectives later obtained search warrants for his medical records and a blood draw.
A toxicology expert independently tested both samples and estimated that Zecca’s blood alcohol level at the time of the shooting was approximately 0.116 – nearly twice the legal limit for driving.
‘This case underscores that devastating tragedy that can result from mixing firearms, alcohol and drugs,’ Sheriff Rambosk said. ‘Our hearts are with everyone affected by this loss.’
Despite the charges, Chapman’s attorney Joseph Lesniak described the case as a ‘devastating family tragedy.’
Anthony is the son of Gregory Zecca, who is Dog the Bounty Hunter’s wife’s son from a previous marriage (the family are pictured in 2022)
An attorney for Dog the Bounty Hunter said the family maintains that Gregory ‘loved his son deeply.’ They are pictured together in 2021
‘We believe Greg loved his son deeply and that this was a tragic accident — one that has left many lives permanently changed, especially Anthony’s and Greg’s,’ Lesniak said.
Court records and social media posts show that Zecca had previously taught his son how to use firearms.
In 2021, when Anthony was just nine years old, Zecca shared images from Franktown Firearms Shooting Center in Franktown, Colorado.
‘Getting some range time in with our buddies @franktownfirearms,’ Zecca wrote on Instagram at the time.
Anthony was also remembered by family members for his strong faith.
In 2023, he shared a story about feeling what he described as the Holy Spirit while visiting his grandmother, whom he called ‘Meemaw’, in a hospital emergency room after she injured her ankle.
Anthony recalled feeling a sudden rush of cold wind despite the warm, rainy weather.
Gregory had taught his son how to use a rifle in 2021, when he was just nine years old, sharing photos of their outing on Instagram
Dog the Bounty Hunter, whose real name is Duane Chapman, and his wife, Francie, are pictured with Anthony
‘When it first came, it hit me [on my chest]. But when it came again, it hit me from the back,’ he said at the time. ‘And I’m wondering what is this? Because the doors didn’t open this time, so why am I getting hit by wind? [It was] the Holy Spirit.’
The tragedy has cast a shadow over the Chapman family, who bonded years earlier over shared loss.
Chapman began dating Francie in 2020 after the death of his fifth wife, Beth Smith, from stage II throat cancer in 2019. Francie had lost her husband, Bob Frane, in 2018.
‘We understood the pain that the other one was feeling, and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up,’ Francie previously told Entertainment Tonight.
‘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.’
