From jail sentences to untimely deaths: Inside the tragic life of Dog the Bounty Hunter
His daughter sadly passed away in a car accident the day before his wedding
Dog the Bounty Hunter has recently had more tragedy come into his life after his step-grandson was fatally shot by his own son in a “tragic accident.”
However, his life has been plagued by unfortunate events, including a prison sentence for first degree murder and the heartbreaking death of his own daughter.
He was convicted of first-degree murder
In 1976, Dog the Bounty Hunter was convicted of first-degree murder following the death of Jerry Oliver. Dog had been waiting in the car when his friend fatally shot and killed John whilst trying to buy drugs from him.
Whilst Dog wasn’t directly involved, Texas law stated that even if you’re indirectly involved in a murder you can still be charges, and he was found guilty of first-degree murder.
As such he was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up only serving 18 months. The bounty hunter has been very open about the time he spent in prison, admitting: “It’s something that follows you the rest of your life, no matter who you become or who you are. I’m not proud of it.”
His daughter tragically passed away in a car accident the day before his wedding
Dog tragically found out on the morning of his fifth wedding, that his 23 year old daughter, Barbara Katie Chapman, has died the day before in a car accident in Alaska.
She had been a passenger in a stolen SUV that crashed into a tree, and passed away alongside the driver of the vehicle.
Dog discovered he had a long lost son he never knew about
In 1994, Dog the Bounty Hunter discovered he actually had a son that he’d never been told about. His son, Christopher White, had been born whilst Dog was serving his prison sentence.
Christopher’s mother, Debbie White, sadly committed suicide in 1978 and he was adopted by Keith and Gloria Hecht.
Dog reached out to Christopher when he was 19, with Debbie saying at the time: “He then reached out to Christopher for the first time when he was 19. When he learned Duane was his father, he was ecstatic. They started a relationship.”
His wife sadly passed away in 2019 from throat cancer
Dog’s wife Beth was diagnosed with stage two throat cancer in 2017, and whilst following treatment it subsided, it returned again in 2018.
She was put into a medically induced coma in June 2019, and passed away shortly afterwards, with Dog writing: “It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side.
One of Dog’s crew also passed away very suddenly
In yet another tragic loss, one of the members of Dog’s crew, David Robinson, passed away when he was just 50 in 2022. He had been on a Zoom call, with it later being confirmed his passing was as a result of critical coronary artery disease.
Dog said he was “shocked and saddened” by his “right-hand man’s” passing.
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