ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind.--A teenage boy from New Carlisle was found guilty Thursday of killing a 6-year-old girl back in March 2021.
On Thursday, a judge found 16-year-old Anthony Hutchens guilty of murder for killing 6-year-old Grace Ross. Hutchens was also found guilty of child molesting, which is a level three felony.
The sentencing range for murder is 45 to 65 years. The sentencing range for a level three felony is anywhere between three and 16 years.
“The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Grace Ross. We would like to thank the investigators with the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit, New Carlisle Police Department and St. Joseph County Police Department for their thorough investigation,” said the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office in a news release Thursday afternoon.
Police say Hutchens was 14 at the time of the crime. At the time, investigators say Hutchens told them that Ross had followed him into the woods, but then lost track of where she was for a while, only to find her and kill her.
Hutchens maintained that a shadowy man in the woods had taken control of him and “used my hands to strangle her to death.” Detectives claim that Hutchens did not tell the story about the shadowy man until they told Hutchens that they would test Ross’s body for DNA evidence.
Hutchens is supposed to be sentenced March 31, 2023.
