Salt Life Clothing Co. Cofounder Sentenced for Killing of Teenage Girlfriend

Rosemary Feitelberg
·2 min read

NEW YORK — The Salt Life Clothing Co.’s cofounder Michael Hutto has started a 12-year sentence in a Florida state prison for the killing of his 18-year-old girlfriend in October 2020.

Hutto, who had pled guilty to manslaughter with a firearm, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Cymonie Rowe in Florida.

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The married father of four was 54 years old when he fatally shot Lora Grace Duncan at the Hilton Singer Island Oceanfront hotel in Riviera Beach, Florida, and fled without his wallet. His attorney Donnie Murrell Jr. did not respond to a media request Friday. Last week Murrell reportedly described the incident as “a stupid, tragic, heartbreaking accident that basically ruined two families.”

Duncan was enrolled as a student at Florida Gateway College and was reportedly working at a Lake City, Florida, gym, where Hutto was getting physical therapy after injuries from an ATV accident, when the pair first met. Although his attorney reportedly said that Hutto “absolutely loved Duncan despite their age difference and the nature of their relationship,” her parents Cissy and Burt were concerned for her well-being after speaking with her.

Her mother and father had reported her missing to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and requested a welfare check on her in late October 2020. They did so after learning of her plans via text to travel to Daytona Beach at that time to reportedly meet associates of Hutto’s, whom she hoped could help her start a business. After a statewide notice was issued by the sheriff’s office to be on the lookout for Duncan, representatives at the Hilton in Riviera Beach reportedly notified authorities that a guest named Hutto had missed his checkout.

Hutto had not been affiliated with Salt Life Clothing Co., the water sports-oriented lifestyle brand and retailer that he helped start, for nearly a decade. Reached for comment Friday, a spokeswoman for the company said, “Last week we learned that one of Salt Life’s original founders, Michael Hutto, pleaded guilty to charges brought against him. Our deepest sympathies are with the deceased’s family, friends, and loved ones. In 2013, the cofounders of Salt Life sold their entire business to the new owners. The cofounders have not been associated with the brand in any way since the purchase in 2013.”

The Salt Life Clothing Co. offers apparel and accessories for women, men and children. In addition to an online store, the Salt Life Clothing Co. has 21 freestanding stores in California, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. The company also sells tropical-inspired fare at three Salt Life Food Shack restaurants in Florida.

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