In a tragic incident on December 15, 2016, 19-year-old Payton J. Beck-Glessner died from a gunshot wound in her Everett, Washington apartment. A graduate of Bothell High School, she was attending the Toni and Guy Hairdressing Academy at the time of her death. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office officially ruled her death a homicide.
The sole suspect in the shooting was her 22-year-old boyfriend, Jonathan Charles Duncan.
He was present in the apartment at the time of the incident and was subsequently arrested. Duncan initially told investigators that the shooting was an accident, claiming he was "playing with the gun" and "didn't mean for it to go off." He asserted that the gun discharged as he was pulling the slide back while sitting next to Beck-Glessner on their bed. After being shot in the chest, she walked into the living room and collapsed. She was still breathing when police arrived but succumbed to her injuries shortly after at a local hospital.
Initially, Duncan was held on suspicion of second-degree manslaughter. However, he later pleaded guilty to the more serious charge of first-degree manslaughter while armed with a gun. During legal proceedings, it was revealed that despite his claims of being unfamiliar with firearms, Duncan had posted photographs of himself with guns on social media. Some of these photos appeared to have been taken in the apartment he shared with Beck-Glessner. In a somewhat unusual turn, Duncan expressed remorse and asked for the maximum possible sentence for his actions. He was subsequently sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.
