The daughter of Autumn Van Camp has come forward to share her anguish following the tragic murder of her mother, who was strangled in 2017, with her body discovered beneath Jason Guthrie’s bed.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fresh details have emerged about Jason Guthrie, a Jacksonville resident now charged with the fatal stabbing of a colleague at the Anheuser-Busch facility in October.
Authorities had previously identified Guthrie as a suspect in the brutal 2017 murder case of Autumn Van Camp, who was found strangled and concealed under his bed. However, the state opted not to prosecute him at that time, citing his mental incompetence and insufficient evidence to secure a conviction.
Summer Pace, Van Camp’s daughter, continues to grapple with the enduring pain of her loss.
“Neither I nor Autumn’s loved ones have forgotten,” Pace expressed, reflecting on the unresolved case that has lingered over the years.
Van Camp’s tragic death occurred just weeks before her daughter was to celebrate her high school graduation.
“It was a very numbing feeling,” she said.
A 48-page homicide report obtained by First Coast News details how it happened. Guthrie was never officially charged in that case, but is now behind bars, accused of killing 22-year-old coworker Antoine Autry in what police describe as a random attack during their first day on the job.
“I immediately felt for the victim’s family,” Pace said. “I cried and cried and cried that he had hurt somebody else.”
Pace had been following his criminal record closely and saw he was charged with second-degree murder in October.
“I had that overwhelming feeling to look him up again, I thought for a moment that maybe the state attorney was prosecuting for my mother, so opening the report, I was hopeful,” she said.
According to her mother’s lengthy incident report, Guthrie was a Navy construction worker struggling with PTSD. His family reported a sharp mental decline after he was shot in the head and involved in a car crash in 2016.
In 2017, investigators say Guthrie was “Baker Acted” after attacking his father with a cord — the same kind of weapon police believe was used to kill Van Camp. He was sent to a mental health facility, where he allegedly attacked another patient in a similar manner.
After his release, Guthrie was convicted of stabbing a man outside a liquor store in 2020, but received a sentence of time served.
Pace is pushing for justice for her mother and other families impacted by Guthrie.
“I feel like we were failed by a system that was supposed to protect us,” she said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says Van Camp’s case was “exceptionally cleared.” That means law enforcement identified the offender, but was prevented from prosecuting due to circumstances beyond their control.
The State Attorney’s Office sent this statement to First Coast News:
“In 2017, our office investigated Guthrie for a prior homicide. We could not move forward with prosecution at that time because the evidence did not meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Since then, our office prosecuted and secured convictions against Guthrie for two separate violent offenses. In both cases, we sought substantial prison sentences, but sentencing decisions rest within the discretion of the court. The court sentenced him to the time he had already served.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice in this case and to protect the safety of our community.”
“If you’re not competent after two years, your case is supposed to be dismissed, unless he can be restored to competency,” said Curtis Fallgatter, a former chief assistant federal prosecutor not involved in the case. “Obviously, they concluded he couldn’t, so it’s appropriate for his case to be dropped.”
Pace says Guthrie should never have been let out.
“At that point, I don’t really know where someone like this would go, but the public was not the answer,” she said.
Fallgatter says state law allows prosecutors to pursue involuntary civil commitment if someone poses an ongoing danger, an option still available now.
“Even though they can’t prosecute him if he’s still a danger, the law requires that the state can keep him housed indefinitely, until they determine he’s no longer a danger to the community,” Fallgatter explained.
Pace says she’s determined to keep fighting.
“I cannot go next year or one year after that or two years after that to look online again and see that he’s out,” she said.
As of Wednesday, Guthrie is being held in the Duval County jail on a second-degree murder charge for the October stabbing. He is due back in court next week.
