A Georgia couple convicted of the sexual abuse of their two adopted sons was sentenced to 100 years each without the possibility of parole last week. William and Zachary Zulock, aged 34 and 36 respectively, created what authorities called a "house of horrors" for the vulnerable children they adopted from a special-needs agency. The case has shocked the community and highlighted the horrific realities of abuse within adopted families.
According to the Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office, the two men were each handed lengthy sentences for multiple charges including aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, and sexual exploitation of children, which they pleaded guilty to after their arrest. District Attorney Randy McGinley emphasized the depth of the defendants' depravity, stating, "These two Defendants truly created a house of horrors and put their extremely dark desires above everything and everyone else." Both boys, who are now 12 and 10 years old, were adopted when they were just young children.
The abuse came to light following a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which alerted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. The tip concerned suspected homemade child sexual abuse material uploaded to a Google account traced back to Walton County. The investigation quickly escalated once authorities were led to the Zulocks' residence.
On July 22, 2022, law enforcement executed search warrants at the couples’ home on St. Regis Way, where they discovered extensive digital evidence, including over seven terabytes of video footage taken by cameras inside the home. The footage reportedly captured numerous instances of the Zulocks abusing the children, confirming allegations of their heinous activities.
Both William and Zachary Zulock were said to have convinced their friends of their perfect family life, presenting themselves as upstanding members of the community. William worked for the local government, and Zachary was employed at a bank, both maintaining jobs and lifestyles seemingly well above board. Yet behind closed doors, they engaged in unspeakable acts against their adopted children, forcing them to perform sexual acts, filming these acts as part of creating pedophilic pornography.
Further complicity was revealed when investigators connected the couple to others involved in the local sex ring, including Hunter Lawless and Luis Vizcarro-Sanchez, who received videos and messages detailing the abuse. McGinley spoke on the overwhelming evil exhibited by the couple, saying, "The resolve I have seen from these two young victims over the last two years is truly inspiring." The investigation showed serious lapses not only in the Zulocks' actions but also underscored the dire need for thorough vetting processes for adoptive parents.
The outcomes of this case serve as a chilling reminder of the potential for abuse within adoptive homes, especially for children taken from precarious family circumstances. “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,” stated McGinley, signaling the broader societal impact of these crimes.
Law enforcement concluded this investigation by ensuring the children were placed safely under protective custody, highlighting the importance of swift action when reports of abuse arise. This case stands as not only an indictment of the defendants but also as a moving call for collective vigilance to protect the most vulnerable among us—children.