JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Only on Action News Jax, the daughter of a woman killed in 2017 is speaking out after the only suspect in her mother’s death is now behind bars and accused of stabbing a man to death.
Jason Guthrie was arrested on October 30th after allegedly stabbing a coworker to death on their first day working a temp job at the Jacksonville Anheuser Busch Brewery.
When Summer Pace saw the news, it broke her heart.
“It’s been very emotional and very lonely to feel like no one is helping. There’s no justice for my mother, and now other families are suffering because of it as well,” Pace said.
Pace’s mother Autumn Lee Van Camp was found dead underneath a bed in Guthrie’s home in 2017 by Guthrie’s father.
Her death was classified as a homicide by JSO.
One day before Van Camp’s body was discovered, Guthrie was arrested and accused of violently attacking his father, according to a 2017 police report.
That police report said Guthrie’s father indicated his son suffered from mental illness, and Guthrie was Baker Acted.
Court records from the case involving the assault on Guthrie’s father show he was deemed mentally incompetent and relinquished to the custody of DCF.
Pace told Action News Jax that while police suspected Guthrie may have killed her mother, he was never charged with her mother’s murder.
JSO confirmed with Action News Jax Guthrie was the only suspect in Van Camp’s homicide case and after the State Attorney’s Office declined prosecution, her case was “exceptionally closed”.
According to the FBI, that designation means law enforcement had identified the offender, but encountered a circumstance outside the control of law enforcement that prohibited the agency from arresting, charging, and prosecuting the offender.
“It is terrifying to think that people like this are slipping through the cracks,” Pace said.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, it did investigate Guthrie for the homicide, but “We could not move forward with prosecution at that time because the evidence did not meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt”.
For years, Pace kept tabs on Guthrie’s status, fearing he could harm others.
Guthrie was put in a state mental hospital after he was charged in 2017, but was released in 2020.
Later that year, Pace’s fear came true when Guthrie was accused of stabbing a man outside a liquor store.
Guthrie was then placed back in a state mental hospital.
“It just kind of boggles me how this person, mentally incapacitated or not, has been allowed into the space of the public to possibly hurt other people,” Pace said.
When finally convicted in both cases in 2024, he was sentenced to five years in prison, but was immediately released on time served.
“In both cases, we sought substantial prison sentences, but sentencing decisions rest within the discretion of the court. The court sentenced him to the time he had already served,” said a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office.
Now, a year later, he’s facing new charges.
This time, second-degree murder.
Pace is hopeful this will be the last straw.
“Whether or not he’s incarcerated or he’s in some kind of mental institution where he’s not allowed to interact with the public is my main goal,” Pace said.
She’s also hoping, just possibly, that this could also open a new opportunity for charges to be brought in the case of her mother’s death as well.
“In a perfect world and in my dreams, yes, he is held accountable for Autumn,” Pace said.
The State Attorney’s Office indicated on its end that the case remains open.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice in this case and to protect the safety of our community,” a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office said.
Action News Jax contacted the attorney who represented Guthrie in his 2017 and 2020 cases.
He declined to comment, only saying Guthrie was “never charged” in relation to Van Camp’s death.
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