Zachariah Anderson seeks $10M in damages related to Mequon arrest
MEQUON, Wis. - Zachariah Anderson, the man convicted of killing Rosalio Gutierez and hiding his body in 2020, is seeking $10 million in damages from the city of Mequon related to his arrest.
Mequon Common Council records show Finance-Personnel Committee members are expected to vote on – and reject – Anderson's request on June 11.
Filings from Anderson claim there was "no reasonable grounds or probable cause" for his arrest when Mequon police took him into custody in May 2020. He alleges, while there as a search warrant for his residence, it "contained false information directly speaking to the issue of probable cause."
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The Mequon city attorney addressed Anderson's notice of claim, saying it was filed too late – and because the Kenosha Police Department requested the Mequon Police Department to make the arrest, Kenosha would bear the liability.
A Kenosha County jury convicted Anderson in March 2023 of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and stalking. He was sentenced to life in prison that May, and will be eligible for supervised release after serving 40 years of that life sentence.
Anderson was accused of killing Gutierrez, his ex-girlfriend's love interest, and hiding his body in 2020.
Zachariah Anderson sentenced, life in prison for Kenosha homicide
Zachariah Anderson, convicted in the 2020 killing of Rosalio Gutierrez, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, May 16.
Prosecutors said there was no other way to explain the evidence and focused on DNA evidence, pictures, folders, phone records showing Anderson was tracking and even going to Gutierrez's apartment before he disappeared – and denials to law enforcement when police came knocking days later.
The state also highlighted missing carpet, remains of a bleach bottle and burned clothing; tens of thousands of dollars in recently withdrawn cash for a supposed escape fund; and no activity on Anderson's phone when police believe Gutierrez was killed.
Anderson's defense argued the facts did not support the state's explanation, and said investigators put on blinders – ignoring other possibilities for Gutierrez's disappearance.