Mother of Rosalio Gutierrez Jr. hopes for justice, prays for son’s body to be found

For the past four weeks, Selia Patterson has sat in a second-floor Kenosha courtroom on a wooden bench for hours to watch the trial of the man accused of killing her son and then get rid of his body.

Patterson, mother of Rosalio Gutierrez Jr., hoped for justice and prayed that one day her son’s body would be found and returned to his loved ones.

Patterson spoke to the Kenosha News as she awaits a verdict in the highly publicized jury trial of Zachariah Anderson, the man accused of killing her, in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

Anderson was found guilty on Wednesday of all charges against him.

“My son was a kind and compassionate man,” Patterson said.

“He was very affectionate with his family, children and friends. He was someone a friend would call and ask for something and he would drop what he was doing and helping. He was such a good son, he really was. We were there for each other. I was there for him all the time. My love for him was unconditional and he knew what unconditional love was because I had him. posed for him.

Patterson said the pain she faced was unimaginable and no parent should have to wonder what happened to their child.

Anderson, 42, is charged with killing Gutierrez, 40, with weapons on the evening of May 17, 2020, inside Gutierrez’s first floor apartment on Kenosha’s North Side.

Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony that carries a life sentence if convicted. Anderson was also charged with hiding a dead body and two counts of criminal harassment.

Prosecutors alleged Anderson killed him because he was deeply upset that Gutierrez had begun a romantic relationship with Sadie Beacham, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his three children.

Gutierrez, a father of two young children, was reported missing on May 19, 2020, after Beacham went to his apartment in the 3700 block of 15th Street and found the patio door open with heavy bloodstains on the door , carpeting and furniture. Beacham called the police after arriving at the scene.

Gutierrez’s body was never found. Gutierrez’s friends and family haven’t heard from him in 1,040 days.

Patterson testified at trial about two weeks ago about her son, her only child whom she called Pocho, being an unabashed “mommy’s boy.”

As of May 2020, Patterson was living in Colorado and often returned to Kenosha to visit. Patterson last saw her son in person in February 2020 when she brought him a truck he could use to get to and from work. She last spoke to him on the phone on May 16, 2020.

“My boy is gone,” Patterson said on March 7. Patterson was notified of her son’s disappearance on the afternoon of May 19, 2020 by telephone.

After receiving the news, Patterson and her husband traveled to Kenosha and arrived on May 20, 2020. The truck she had bought him was left in the Wood Creek parking lot.

Patterson said she should clean and pack her son’s apartment after investigators complete their work.

During the second day of jury deliberations on Wednesday, Patterson said she was trying to stay calm and strong.

“It was really difficult, but I was strong for my son. I maintained myself, my composure. I tried to be as calm as possible and there were times when I had to wipe away a lot of tears but I held on. I think I have his strength with me,” Patterson said. “I am so anxious. I think about it too much. I just hope that, by the grace of God, the jurors listened to the evidence.

Patterson said one of the most difficult aspects of the case is not knowing where her son’s remains are.

“I hope someone finds it,” Patterson said. “I hope something will be found. At this point, I’m anticipating parts. You know, I anticipate that maybe someone will find a piece of bone or something. If that sounds strange, take a look.

Patterson said there is still a reward for her son’s remains and hopes that if hunters or hikers find anything they will report it to law enforcement.

When asked if she had anything to say to Anderson or her family, Patterson said she would ask them to put themselves in her shoes.

“I would tell his family, especially his family, to put themselves in my shoes. What if it was Zacharie? Wouldn’t they want answers? That’s what I would tell them.