St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford in Indiana sentenced 16-year-old Anthony Hutchens as a juvenile to a total of 64 years of incarceration for the March 2021 murder and molestation of 6-year-old Grace Ross in a wooded area near her home at an apartment complex in New Carlisle.
The sentence included 55 years for murder and nine years for child molestation. The sentences are to be served consecutively, and Anthony has already served 748 days for the murder charge.
If and when he is released, he will have to register as a sex offender.
Sanford ordered Anthony to be held in a juvenile detention facility until between his 18th and 21st birthdays. After that, his case will be reviewed and a determination will be made for if or how long he spends time in prison as an adult.
Sanford found Anthony guilty of murder and child molesting after a two-day bench trial that concluded January 26.
The sentencing concludes more than two years of criminal proceedings against Anthony that have included multiple rounds of evaluations and hearings that started in probate, or juvenile court, but later moved to adult, or superior, court. After the trial, Jeff Kimmell, Anthony’s appointed public defender, said he would appeal the verdict based on his contention that the trial should have been held in juvenile court.
About 6:30 p.m. March 12, 2021, Grace’s family reported her missing after she had last been seen in the area of Chapman Drive. Her body was found two hours later in a wooded area behind the Prairie Ridge Apartment Complex.
An autopsy by Jared Brooks, a forensic pathologist, found the cause of her death to be homicide by asphyxiation. It also revealed blunt force injuries to Grace’s pelvic region.
At the trial, prosecutors showcased DNA evidence and a video-taped statement from Anthony as proof the teenager, then 14, killed and molested Grace. Ultimately, Sanford found prosecutors proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
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