ZACHARY PETTUS INVESTIGATION
BY: C. J. Ford Jr.
At the age of 19 years old a young man from Cincinnati set out to better himself. He came to Huntington Beach California to go to school, get an education, and get a job. This was because supposedly California had a better environment for Zachary, and the opportunities existed there that did not exists at that time for him in Cincinnati.
Zachary moved in with his sister in Huntington Beach, California. Immediately he became well liked by his peers and most of the community that he made contact with. Little did Zachary know that the waiting hand of prejudice was there to grab hold of his dreams and his life.
Zachary met Brian Gatlin who was also a student at the High School that Zachary attended. They became instant partners and did most things that two young men could do together. They played basketball, dated girls, and just enjoyed the kind of life that could be expected from teenagers.
However, Zachary’s living situations became very unstable and intolerable. Things that you would think that should have been present in Zachary’s home environment were not. There were drug usage, neglect, and a new financial burden that Zachary should not have had to face became emanate.
Zachary had to face the fact that he either had to move back to Cincinnati or become independent of his immediate situation. Zachary reaction to this adversity was that of a responsible person. He decided to seek employment. Zachary was still in his last year of school. Since Zachary learned responsibility and a sense of right and wrong he wanted to settle his high school issue so that he could find employment. Zachary was of the age where he could resign from school, and that is what he did. He wanted to make sure that the school understood why he had to leave, and left the door open in to return. He just didn’t want to be known as a drop out.
Now Zachary’s days were filled with trying to obtain a job, and getting out of the environment that he was in. Zachary spent a lot of his time with Brian and his mother Barbara Junious. She was like a second mother to Zachary. She understood Zachary’s home situation so she made her home available to Zachary when he needed a place to visit, and a mother image to consult with. This was Zachary’s real family out on the west coast.
Before Zachary’s plans to secure a job materialized, the scales of justice offset it’s true and equal balance. While job hunting, Zachary got caught up in the justice system that is designed to protect us, but in some situation is perverted to condemn us.
Zachary himself became a victim. Zachary was offered a job by others who were conspiring to burglarize innocent local vendors. Zachary didn’t take this seriously because he didn’t intend on doing anything dishonest. Little did Zachary know that these same people would set him up for a theft that turned into a murder.
Zachary liked clothing so he frequented a small shop in Huntington Beach affordable stylish clothing. He tried to get employment there, but the owner told Zachary that her shop was too small and that they didn’t have any openings. Zachary still continued to come to the store and shared the fact that they had good clothing with his friends. He even met a girl in this store that was later to become friendly with Zachary, but I think she manipulated a plan with others to rob the store.
Zachary’s good personality and his ability to make friends which is usually a good trait turned against him. Then there was the fact that Zachary was still a little naive because he liked everyone and always thought the best of people.
The shop was robbed and the owner was killed. Zachary was there the day before when he came across this friend. He was also in the area filling out applications the day before. On the day of the murder, Zachary went by the shop to look at some clothing. The door was locked, so Zachary assumed that they were closed. Zachary went on about his business, went several other places, did several other things unexpected of what was going to happen that would change his life.
A witness said that she went to the shop and was greeted by a very handsome Black man who was inside of the store. This man that told her that the shop was closed. At that time it is believed that the victim was in the store either tied up or was already dead.
When investigators arrived they saw a bloody body gagged and tied. Witnesses said that they saw a black man in the small shopping complex. The key witness said that she actually was entering the shop only to be turned back by a handsome black man with white features. Anyone who knows Zachary knows that Zachary was a real dark complexion black man, crooked teeth, and none of his features could remotely be mistaken for “White Features”.
There were different composites drawn of this black man, but none of them looked like Zachary. Back in those days some white people would make the statement when identifying black people, that they all look alike. Well this ignorance is what lead to Zachary Pettus incarceration. The man in the store could have been black, but Zachary was not the black man in the store.
Zachary was arrested and interrogated by the police department. He was being very cooperative. I interviewed Zachary just recently and he told me that he remembers that when he was in the process of being arrested he thought that it was a joke. He thought that at any moment, they were going to tell him that. By the time they got the handcuffs on him reality set in. Even though he was being taken to the police station he always thought that this would be just a misunderstanding and that he would be coming home. Zachary never went home again.
There were three searches that took place in Zachary’s small bedroom while he was in custody. After each of the first two searches, Zachary’s sister rearranged the bedroom. She said she did this because she was concerned about drugs or something else being in the bedroom. Prior to the third search, Zachary’s legal team, Milton Grimes, attorney, and David Sandberg, investigator searched the bedroom and found nothing. So after two bedroom rearrangement, and two police searches, and Zachary’s legal team search of the bedroom, nothing was found. On the third search the victims jewelry was found in plain view on top of the stereo. It is obvious to me that someone put that jewelry there.
There has never been any evidence that was found at the crime scene that ever tied Zachary to this case. However, like in most investigation done by the police department, when they do not find any evidence from the defendant, they do not go to the next step of finding who ties to the evidence that they found.
As an investigator, I can see so many things wrong with this case. I am not at liberty to discuss too many details. If I could, it would show you more of the interesting facts regarding this case. I can tell you that there is definitely evidence that someone else committed this crime. As this investigation progresses you will see this materialize.
Zachary Pettus will have his day in court again, and I am positive that I can come up with the evidence. However, like in all situation like this, it will be up to the attorney to present these facts to a court to free Zachary.