William and Zachary Zulock

William and Zachary Zulock
William and Zachary Zulock's mugshots
Born
William Dale Zulock
1989 (age 36–37)[2]
Georgia, U.S.
Zachary Jacoby Zulock
1987 (age 38–39)[3]
Georgia, U.S.
OccupationsGovernment employee (William)
Bank worker (Zachary)
Criminal statusIncarcerated (both)
ConvictionGuilty on all counts (both)[a]
Criminal penalty100 years in prison without the possibility of parole, plus life on probation (both)[b]
Date apprehended
July 2022
Imprisoned atJimmy Autry State Prison (William)
Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison (Zachary)

William Dale Zulock and Zachary Jacoby Zulock[4] (born 1989 and 1987), respectively, are two American child rapists and sex offenders, currently serving a sentence of 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole, for the repeated sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of their two adoptive sons.

A wealthy couple involved in online LGBTQ+ activism, their case garnered significant attention from right-wing media and some right-wing political commentators in the United States, as well as from President of Argentina Javier Milei, who made a mention of the case at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos.

Background

William and Zachary Zulock were born in 1989 and 1987, respectively.[2][3]

In 2011, Zachary was a suspect in the rape of a 14-year-old boy following a police report, but he never faced any charge over that case.[5]

After their marriage, the Zulocks became actively involved in online activism for LGBTQ+ rights, especially adoption by same-sex couples and other campaigns and initiatives like the NOH8 Campaign and others, while keeping a socially active and upper-class lifestyle.[5][6] According to The Daily Wire, a conservative news website, the Zulocks had become visible online and alleged that LGBTQ+ magazine Out had asked them for permission to publish their story.[5]

In November 2018, they were living together and enjoyed an affluent lifestyle, with William working for the government and Zachary for a bank.[5]

By November 2018, when the Zulocks applied for adoption, they had residences in Loganville, Georgia, divided between Walton and Gwinnett County, plus another property in nearby Oxford in Newton County.[7] The couple was granted the custody of two young boys – aged three and five – from a Christian special needs agency named All God's Children Inc., associated with the All God's Children Campaign.[8][9] According to a website of private investigators, the adoption process was "unusually quick" for the Zulocks and it was not known whether the adoption agency had conducted background checks on both men before granting them the custody of the children.[9] The boys had been removed from their parents due to heroin addiction and were living in foster care when they were adopted by William and Zachary Zulock.[9]

Crimes and arrests

In 2019, shortly after being granted full custody of the boys, the Zulocks began sexually assaulting, molesting, and raping the two children. They also engaged in the homemade production of child pornography and frequently procured the boys to at least two men in the area who would rape them and receive photos of the children being sexually abused by either William or Zachary.[10][1]

Between 2019 and July 2022, the abuse continued and increased, with Zachary contacting other pedophiles on Snapchat, where he posted taunting and boastful comments, as well as graphic details of what he did to the boys.[11] The couple regularly abused the children, filming and photographing their actions, which they shared with other sexual predators online.[1] Two men, who were indicted along with the Zulocks, Hunter Lawless and Luis Vizcarro-Sanchez, told Walton County police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) that the Zulocks had offered them the boys multiple times.[5]

On July 22, 2022, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children informed the GBI's crimes against children unit that they had tracked an IP address to Walton County where suspected child pornographic material had been uploaded to a Google account. Local police and the GBI conducted a search warrant on the house and arrested 27-year-old Hunter Lawless, who confessed to receiving the material from a man named Zach Zulock. Lawless also provided the GBI with chats between Zachary Zulock and him, where Zachary used to tell Lawless when he was going to rape the boys.[12]

Police quickly arrested 25-year-old Luis Vizcarro-Sanchez, who was also accused of soliciting and consuming child sexual abuse material. That same evening of July 22, 2022, the Walton County Police Department and the GBI localized the Zulocks with the help of Walton County School District, which provided information to identify the boys.[13] Law enforcement agencies conducted a search warrant on the Zulocks's residence in Oxford, Georgia, while child and family services from Walton County took the two boys into protective custody.[14][15]

William and Zachary Zulock confessed to sexually abusing their two sons that same night. The GBI found extensive evidence of the abuses at the Zulocks's home, including a folder on Zachary's cell phone containing footage and pictures depicting sexual acts on the boys. Among the incriminating files was a video showing the Zulocks forcing the children to perform oral sex on them.[8][16] Another series of images and videos included a sexual assault on the elder sibling which resulted in an injury to the boy's anus caused by a violent penetration.[16]

Law enforcement agencies and the district attorney's office gathered a total of 149 images, a text message from Lawless to the Zulocks, a letter from the social app Snapchat, and reports written by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner who certified the abuses on the two boys.[8]

Zachary told investigators that the abuse was "routine", but said that they had distributed the recorded material "only to less than a dozen people".[8] The evidence included more than seven terabytes of photos and videos of explicit child sexual abuse in different parts of the house,[7] with the newest material recorded 14 days before the arrests.[4][16]

Randy McGinley, the district attorney for the Alcovy Judicial District, which encompasses Walton and Newton County, charged the Zulocks with multiple crimes.[4][7] Zachary was indicted on two counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of incest, two counts of sodomy, three counts of sexual exploitation of children, and two counts of pandering for a person under the age of 18, while William was charged with six counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of incest, and two counts of sexual exploitation of children.[4]

The DA office also filed charges against Lawless and Vizcarro-Sanchez for their involvement in the Zulocks's crimes. Lawless pled guilty to sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the first 12 years to be served in prison. Vizcarro-Sanchez pled guilty to pandering for a person under the age of 18 and numerous counts of computer theft upon being discovered that he was stealing from his employer while he worked at a Kroger in Loganville.[7] He was sentenced to 60 years in prison, with the first 15 years to be served in prison and on the condition that he testify in any legal proceeding against the Zulocks.[7][17]

William Zulock did not face a trial, instead choosing to plead guilty to all charges on August 20, 2024. Zachary pled not guilty to the two counts of incest, accepting the rest of the indictment. On October 21, after a brief bench trial, Zachary was found guilty on both counts.[1] Judge Jeffrey L. Foster set a sentencing hearing for the Zulocks for December 19, 2024.[7]

On December 19, 2024, William and Zachary Zulock were sentenced to 100 years in prison each, followed by life on probation.[4][5][18] District attorney McGinley said that due to the nature of their crimes, the Zulocks will spend the rest of their lives in prison, and that they will never be benefited with parole.[1]

Reactions and aftermath

Randy McGinley described the Zulocks's home as a "house of horrors",[1] thanking law enforcement and other officials for their work to secure the case.[1] McGinley added that officers will "never forget what they had to see and hear in this case", calling the Zulocks "selfish" individuals who "put their extremely dark desires above everything and everyone else" with a level of depravity "as deep as it gets".[1][4][5] In the same statement, McGinley said that the harsh punishment guarantees that the victims "will not have to worry as they grow older about their abusers being free".[7]

The case against the Zulocks prompted interest in some U.S. right-wing conservatives and abroad, such as the case of President of Argentina Javier Milei.[19][20] In her primetime show, The Ingraham Angle, Fox News host Laura Ingraham gave explicit details about the Zulocks's crimes, whom she called "LGBTQ+ activists".[21] Matt Walsh, another right-wing political commentator said on X (formerly Twitter), that the case was "not surprising", condemning same-sex adoption and calling the Zulocks "gut-wrenchingly disgusting and evil".[21]

Internationally, President of Argentina Javier Milei mentioned the Zulocks's case at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, implying that gay men were prone to abusing children and calling "gender ideology" "plain and simply" pedophilia, along with other criticisms of feminism and transgender people in sports.[22][23] Milei later denied comparing gay men to pedophiles or linking the Zulocks's case to all gay men, saying that he "lamented" that "they (gay men) let themselves be used by Party of the State's scumbags who edited the video".[c][23] Argentine media and society reacted negatively to Milei's comments; national deputy Maximiliano Ferraro of the Civic Coalition ARI strongly condemned Milei for "using stigmatizing and abhorrent cases" to attack the LGBTQ+ community.[19] Journalist Ernesto Tenembaum, writing for Infobae, pointed out to the increasing violent rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community by Milei and the ruling La Libertad Avanza party, calling the president's association between gay men and pedophilia "dangerous".[20]

In February 2025, Argentines marched in the first anti-fascism protest against the government of Javier Milei and his remarks in Davos.[19][24][25][26] Prominent gay Argentines, including from the fields of science, acting, entertainment, politics, and sports, condemned Milei and the usage of an isolated criminal case by gay men to openly attack gays in general.[20] The anti-fascism march took place again in February 2026, taking broader meanings to include protests against Milei's economic policies and other political slogans.[27][28]

Analysis

Matt Gertz of Media Matters for America accused right-wing influential figures of gay bashing, asserting that these figures "continue to target same-sex couples who want to participate in traditionally conservative institutions like marriage and parenthood."[21] Gertz wrote that right-wing commentators were "cynically leveraging" the Zulocks's crimes to reinforce opposition to same-sex adoption.[21] He further described the Zulocks's actions as "appalling" but said that abuse by household members is "unnervingly common", especially among children who go through the foster care system.[21]

Ingraham interviewed Mia Cathell, a reporter for Townhall who wrote an extensive multipart report about the case for that right-wing website. Cathell expressed that the problem that the story show(ed) was that "a same-sex couple was able to receive services" from an adoption agency.[21]

Gertz concluded that the "right's hateful anti-LGBTQ vitriol" and the "GOP's cruel legislative efforts in response" have now focused on drag queens and transsexuals.[21] He added that after historic civil rights advances by the gay community, some reporters suggested an increased support for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people among right-wing Americans, with the focus now being on the trans community.[21]

In Argentina, Milei's remarks at Davos drew strong criticism and anti-fascism protests. Ernesto Tenembaum wrote on Infobae that Milei and his supporters were deliberately and falsely associating gay men with pedophiles, condemning pro-Milei commentator Agustín Laje for using homophobic rhetoric to describe the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, and implying that gay men were "desperate to screw underage children."[20] Tenembaum concluded his opinion piece by asking readers what President Milei wants Argentina to become, arguing that measures against sexual minorities and women put into question the freedom rhetoric by the government and adding that the raising of some questions previously seen as "absurd" in Argentina, were "strikingly beginning to make sense."[20]

Notes

  1. ^ Zachary pleaded not guilty to the two counts of incest, with DA McGinley calling his plea "purely legal issues."[1] Zachary was found guilty that same day in a speedy bench trial.[1]
  2. ^ The Georgia Department of Corrections does not list the maximum possible release date, instead stating that both are serving life sentences.[2][3]
  3. ^ Milei's references to the Zulocks were made in the context of their crimes and their names were mentioned by media, not Milei.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Aaro, David (December 23, 2024). "Georgia men get 100 years for abusing adopted sons in 'house of horrors'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "ZULOCK, WILLIAM DALE". Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "ZULOCK, ZACHARY". Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f McGinley, Randy (December 23, 2024). "Two men who adopted two young boys and then sexually abused them sentenced to 100 years without parole:". Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office. Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Benedict (December 24, 2024). "Wealthy gay couple who raped their adopted boys given 100 years in prison". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 2, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  6. ^ Villalobos, Alejandra (December 26, 2024). "Una pareja gay en Georgia fue condenada a 100 años de cárcel por abusar sexualmente de sus hijos adoptivos" [A gay couple in Georgia was sentenced to 100 years in prison for sexually abusing their adopted children.]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Swanepoel, Sharon (December 26, 2024). "Oxford men sentenced to 100 years in prison for sexually abusing adopted children". The Covington News. Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b c d Sabes, Adam (January 23, 2023). "Georgia couple accused of sexually abusing adopted boys, husband bragged about molesting son: report". Fox 5 Atlanta. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "The Zulock Pedophile Sex Ring That Happened in Georgia Is One of the Worst We've Seen". CGA. March 20, 2023. Archived from the original on December 16, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  10. ^ Van de Riet, Emily; Montgomery, Miles (August 8, 2022). "Couple arrested for recording videos sexually abusing their adopted children, police say". WANF. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  11. ^ "Gay Couple In US Get 100 Years In Prison For Raping Their Adopted Sons". NDTV. December 24, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Couple sentenced to 100 years without parole for sexually abusing adopted children in Walton County". WANF. December 23, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  13. ^ Alsharif, Mirna (August 7, 2022). "Georgia couple accused of producing child sex abuse images using adoptive children". NBC News. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Oxford couple charged in child sexual abuse investigation". Fox 5 Atlanta. August 5, 2025. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Swanepoel, Sharon (April 1, 2023). "Couple charged with making homemade child pornography back in court next month".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ a b c Valencia, Jamel (December 23, 2024). "Two men who sexually abused adopted sons inside 'house of horrors' sentenced". CBS News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  17. ^ Jones, Dajhea (December 23, 2024). "Georgia fathers sentenced to 100 years in prison for sexually abusing adopted sons". WXIA-TV. Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Quinn, Liam (December 25, 2024). "Georgia Couple Who Sexually Abused 2 Boys They Adopted in 'House of Horrors' Get 100 Years in Prison". People. Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ a b c "Milei vinculó a parejas gay con la "pedofilia", pero las cifras de abuso intrafamiliar muestran una realidad más aterradora" [Milei linked gay couples to "pedophilia," but the figures for domestic abuse show a more terrifying reality]. Perfil (in Spanish). January 23, 2025. Archived from the original on February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c d e Tenembaum, Ernesto (January 26, 2025). "Milei y los gays: "¿Por qué no están todos hablando de esto?"" [Milei and gays: "Why isn't everyone talking about this?"]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h Gertz, Matt (January 19, 2023). "In the year 2023, prominent right-wing commentators still have a problem with same-sex parents". Media Matters for America. Retrieved February 8, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "El discurso completo y las frases destacadas de Javier Milei en el Foro de Davos 2025" [The full speech and highlights of Javier Milei at the Davos Forum 2025]. La Nación (in Spanish). January 23, 2025. Archived from the original on February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  23. ^ a b "Javier Milei insiste en que no dijo lo que dijo" [Javier Milei insists he did not say what he said]. Página 12 (in Spanish). February 2, 2025. Archived from the original on February 15, 2026. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  24. ^ "Pro-LGBT+ protesters defend diversity with march against Milei". Buenos Aires Times. February 1, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  25. ^ "El Frente Orgullo y Lucha le pidió a Milei que se retracte en Davos" [The Pride and Struggle Front asked Milei to retract his statements in Davos]. Página 12 (in Spanish). January 18, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  26. ^ Murillo, Euge (February 8, 2026). ""Frente al avance del fascismo, solidaridad"" ["In the face of the advance of fascism, solidarity"]. Página 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  27. ^ "Miles de personas se movilizaron en la segunda Marcha del Orgullo Antifascista y Antirracista" [Thousands of people mobilized in the second Antifascist and Antiracist Pride March]. Ámbito Financiero (in Spanish). February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "Galería de fotos de la marcha antifascista" [Photo gallery of the anti-fascist march]. Página 12 (in Spanish). February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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