Walton County, GA – Authorities revealed that two individuals convicted of sexually abusing their adopted children have received a sentence of 100 years behind bars.
On Monday morning, Walton County District Attorney Randy McGinley addressed the consequences facing Zachary and William Zulock.
“This all but guarantees that the victims will not have to worry as they grow older about their abusers being free,” stated McGinley.
Local reports indicate that the individuals involved in the child sex abuse case, sharing the same last name, are in a relationship.
The residence of Zachary and William Zulock, where the two young victims were present, underwent a search. According to a statement from McGinley’s office, surveillance footage captured within the residence revealed 7 terabytes of video documenting various instances of the Zulocks engaging in sexual abuse throughout different areas of the home.
Confiscated mobile devices also held disturbing images and videos of the mistreatment, along with “explicit text and social media communications” regarding the sexual misconduct.
The inquiry into the Zulocks commenced in July 2022 following a “cyber tip” received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, which subsequently alerted Walton County sheriff’s investigators regarding the “homemade child sexual abuse material.”
Hunter Lawless informed investigators that he had obtained images and videos showing child sexual abuse material from Zach Zulock. Authorities highlighted that Zulock’s admission prompted them to obtain a search warrant for the residence in Walton County.
Findings from the confiscated cell phones indicated that Luis Vizcarro-Sanchez was in communication with Zachary Zulock regarding the sexual abuse of one of the victims. Vizcarro-Sanchez provided testimony regarding the Zulocks.
Judge Jeffrey L. Foster sentenced the Zulocks to a century behind bars, followed by a lifetime of probation.
“It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for our society to have individuals willing to adopt children in need. But anyone who does so and then abuses those children deserves extremely harsh consequences and decades in prison,” McGinley wrote about the defendants.
“Those involved with the investigation and prosecution of this case will never forget what they had to see and hear in this case. These two defendants truly created a house of horrors and put their extremely dark desires above everything and everyone else.”
A recent announcement revealed that Lawless admitted guilt to charges of sexual exploitation of minors and received a sentence of 20 years, with the initial 12 years to be served in prison.