Zachariah Anderson, 42, has been accused of murdering Rosalio Gutierrez Jr, 40, at the latter’s Wood Creek apartment in May 2020.
On Wednesday, March 15, new testimony in Anderson’s trial shed light on the possible motives for Rosalio Gutierrez Jr.’s disappearance in 2020.
He stands accused of murdering Gutierrez Jr. with blunt force on May 17, 2020. Zachariah apparently suspected Gutierrez of having a relationship with his ex-partner, Sadie.
Zachariah Anderson accused of murdering Rosalio Gutierrez
Anderson has been accused of stalking Gutierrez and beating him to death with an object before disposing of the body. The latter was dating Anderson’s ex-girlfriend Sadie Beacham, with whom the accused has three children.
Prosecutors claim he was envious of the new relationship and stalked his rival. Meanwhile, the defense has claimed that the state failed to investigate any other possible suspects. The 42-year-old is now facing charges of first-degree intentional homicide, concealing a corpse, and stalking in Kenosha County Circuit Court.
According to one of Anderson’s children, the suspect drove to Beacham’s Germantown home between April 24 and April 25, 2020, to spy on her and Gutierrez.
Zachariah’s daughter claimed that she, too, was involved in her father’s spying plot against the couple. She went on to say that he had used a racial slur to describe Gutierrez before outlining a plan to stalk the latter.
She said:
“He said something about showing him who the man was, and I didn’t quite understand, but you kind of caught onto things that my dad was referring to or was implying. My dad said to me, ‘I may just watch him or follow him to his house one time just for the fun of it.’ Those were his exact words to me.”
Guttierez had not been seen or heard from since May 17, 2020. Anderson reportedly took his children to his family farm on May 16, 2020, and is said to have murdered Gutierrez, before leaving after a brief period. Prosecutors claimed that on the day after the murder, Zachariah Anderson went to a Saukville Walmart and purchased cleaning wipes, gloves, bleach, and a trash bag. He also purchased sardine cans.
Details of the murder
As she was unable to reach him, Beacham returned to Gutierrez’s home on May 19, 2020, to check on him. She arrived at his apartment to find the patio door open and blood on the floor, furniture, and ceiling. There was also no area rug on the property, following which she reported him missing.
Prosecutors claim that on the evening of May 17, 2020, Mr. Anderson went to Gutierrez’s apartment and brutally killed him with blunt force because he was jealous of his former partner’s relationship.
Beacham revealed that she believed her ex was tracking her movements as investigators closed in on Zachariah Anderson.
Officers discovered burn pits smoldering at both Mr. Anderson’s home and farm on the days Guttierez’s death was discovered, with the remains of a bleach bottle and the accused’s clothing among the ashes.
Prosecutors said Guttierez’s DNA was found inside Mr. Anderson’s work van, and there was evidence that the interior had been bleached.
Zachariah Anderson is now facing life in prison.
Who is Zachariah Anderson?
Zachariah Anderson is a resident of Mequon, Wisconsin.
He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony punishable by life in prison if convicted. Further, he has also been charged with felony stalking and concealing a corpse.
