PANAMACITY— Investigators with the Panama City Police Department relentlessly gathered evidence in the slaying of 20-year-old Adam Bolton since 2007.
Sgt. Jeff Becker, the lead detective on the case, made Bolton’s photo his screen saver on his computer at work. He wanted to be reminded of the case every time he was there, he said.
On Thursday, the investigation officially came to an end when Joseph T. Duhon pleaded no contest to a charge of manslaughter.
Circuit Judge Elijah Smiley followed the terms of the agreement and sentenced Duhon, 27, to just over 10 years in prison, according to a news release from the State Attorney’s Office.
Assistant State Attorney Bob Sombathy told Smiley that Duhon shot and killed Bolton on Jan. 2, 2007.
Bolton’s mother, Angela Small, told Smiley that Duhon was the first friend Bolton made when they moved to the area, a news release stated.
“My son was executed one month before his 21st birthday by his friend Joseph Duhon,” Small said in the release, adding that she endured chance encounters with Duhon for years. “He would be smiling at me with that smug grin, knowing he killed my son.”
Duhon was arrested last year.
Police had said for years they knew who shot Bolton four times as he slept in his Grace Avenue apartment, but they lacked the evidence to bring formal charges until last year.
“The age of the case presented some challenges, but this manslaughter plea forces Joseph Duhon to accept responsibility for the death of Adam Bolton, and hopefully bring some closure for his family,” Sombathy wrote in a news release.
In an email to The News Herald, Becker said he also hoped the sentence would bring closure to the family.
“No penalty will ever return Mr. Adam Bolton to his family, but the Panama City Police Department hopes and prays that today’s sentence will offer them some sense of closure,” he wrote. “Solving crimes with the right person being charged for those crimes always has been and always will be among our top priorities. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of State Attorney Glenn Hess, attorney Bob Sombathy, and the staff at the State Attorney’s Office.”