On the evening of December 28, 2019, police in St. Louis County, Missouri, were called to a residence in the 2300 block of Gardner Drive in Moline Acres. Inside the home, officers discovered the body of a 36-year-old male, Michael W. Dillingham Jr., who had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The incident, which occurred around 5:32 p.m., initially prompted a homicide investigation as authorities worked to determine the circumstances leading to the shooting.
Investigators soon
focused on a visitor who had been at the residence that afternoon, identified as 33-year-old Hutson Grace Jr. According to court documents and probable cause statements, Grace arrived at Dillingham's home earlier in the day carrying beer, marijuana, and a firearm. Witnesses reported that Grace was consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana while attempting to assemble the weapon. During this process, he allegedly pointed the gun at Dillingham multiple times, despite being warned to stop.
Authorities determined that the shooting was not a premeditated murder but a result of reckless mishandling of the firearm. Grace reportedly admitted to police that the weapon discharged while he was attempting to install a trigger lock, striking Dillingham. Following his admission and witness accounts, police arrested Grace, and prosecutors charged him with first-degree involuntary manslaughter. He was subsequently held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. Dillingham was remembered by his family and community as a loving father and avid St. Louis Cardinals fan who had graduated from Beaumont High School.
