Zachariah Anderson found guilty of homicide, all other charges against him

A jury found Zachariah Anderson guilty of all criminal charges against him, including first-degree intentional homicide, in the death of Rosalio Gutierrez Jr. Tuesday afternoon in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

The jury of seven women and five men returned the verdict after ten hours of deliberation. The Mequon man was charged with killing Gutierrez, of Kenosha, at his Wood Creek apartment and then hiding the body in May 2020.

Anderson, 42, was convicted of murdering Rosalio Gutierrez Jr., 40, on the evening of May 17, 2020, inside Gutierrez’s first floor apartment on Kenosha’s North Side. It is believed that he used blunt and edged weapons to do so.

Gutierrez’s body was never found.

Anderson now faces life in prison for his first-degree intentional homicide conviction, a Class A felony. He was also found guilty of concealing a corpse and two counts of criminal harassment. Sentencing is set for May 16, almost three years after the day Gutierrez was killed.

Anderson showed no emotion as the verdicts were read aloud Wednesday afternoon in a packed courtroom. He was taken away in handcuffs by sheriff’s deputies.

District Attorney Michael Graveley served as lead prosecutor in the nearly four-week trial with support from Assistant District Attorney Jessica Krejcarek.

“Rosalio Gutierrez is a person who, as I’ve been around the community for the past few weeks, people have come up to me and talked about him and what he means to them. He’s a guy who loved a lot of people . The fact that I have to play a small role in trying to get justice for his death, it’s gratifying and it’s really a relief,” Graveley said after the trial ended.

Relatives of Krejcarek and Gutierezz gathered for a press conference in the courthouse basement. The trial made headlines across the country.

“We owe so much gratitude to the more than 15 law enforcement agencies that investigated this case, to the original prosecutors,” Krejcarek said. “It’s the culmination of thousands and thousands of hours and we couldn’t be happier that the jury reached the verdict they did. They paid close attention to it. We are so grateful that they stayed with us for the past four whole weeks when they thought they would only have to serve for two.”

Gutierrez’s mother, Selia Patterson, said she thanked God Anderson was convicted for his crimes, but she still needs to know where her son’s remains are.

“Now we’re looking for it. Any kind of remains or any evidence that we can find of where my ‘Pocho’ is from, I ask the public to be vigilant and be vigilant if they see anything,” Patterson said. .

Anderson’s defense team said a statement on this would be released soon.

Prosecutors allege 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.

There are no security cameras in the apartment complex.

Gutierrez’s friends and family have not heard from him in 1,040 days and his credit cards have not been used by anyone.

Prosecutors maintain that Gutierrez died in part due to the large amount of blood spatter found inside his apartment and DNA matching Gutierrez found in his work van. Gutierrez’s friends and family testified at trial that Gutierrez was a devoted father who would never give up on loved ones or commitments.

Although a body was never found, Anderson was found guilty based on evidence including a dried grain of a rest-colored substance found inside his work van that tested positive for the DNA of Gutierrez. Security footage captured by a Saukville Walmart captured Anderson shopping for gloves, trash bags and wipes the morning after he killed Gutierrez.

Throughout the trial, jurors heard testimony from Beacham, Anderson and Beacham’s daughter, Gutierrez’s mother, a neighbor of Gutierrez, detectives and a medical examiner, among many others. Jurors also saw footage of Gutierrez’s blood-stained apartment, Anderson’s work van with missing carpet, bleach stains and a speck of a rust-colored substance that was tested positive for Gutierrez’s DNA.

Judge Bruce Schroeder presided over the trial.