updates.
September 4, 2026
Zach had a status conference hearing today that he attended this in person. Sadie and Rosalio's mom were present via phone. Zach's dad and daughter, OA, were also in attendance in the courtroom to support Zach.
This status conference hearing was a check-in to determine what steps would need to be taken next and Zach's attorney, Natalie, provided context about what she wants the court to determine in relation to the post-conviction motion (PCM). An attorney for the Wisconsin DOJ stated that the first issue needing to be determined is the sufficiency of the PCM, so it was agreed that the parties would come back for oral arguments on October 9th.
Zach had also filed a motion for release on bond while awaiting decisions about his PCM, but it was denied by the judge after Sadie and Rosalio's mom were allowed to give statements against it.
This status conference hearing was a check-in to determine what steps would need to be taken next and Zach's attorney, Natalie, provided context about what she wants the court to determine in relation to the post-conviction motion (PCM). An attorney for the Wisconsin DOJ stated that the first issue needing to be determined is the sufficiency of the PCM, so it was agreed that the parties would come back for oral arguments on October 9th.
Zach had also filed a motion for release on bond while awaiting decisions about his PCM, but it was denied by the judge after Sadie and Rosalio's mom were allowed to give statements against it.
December 4, 2025
Zach's motion hearing to review the post-conviction motion that was originally scheduled for today was re-scheduled to January 15th. However, in the meantime, the judge requested another hearing for December 17th. We are waiting to find out what the hearing on the 17th will entail.
May 29, 2025
Zach requested for Natalie to file another motion for extension so he could have more time to review his discovery and find applicable case law. Unfortunately, he did not have access to all of it until recently and he wants to make sure nothing is missed before they file the post-conviction motion (PCM). The extension was granted and the new deadline is September 2nd, 2025.
may 19, 2025
Today, Zach attended civil court via Zoom in regard to a suit brought by the HOA of the condo he owns. Prior to his arrest, Zach owned a couple of rental properties, including a 1-bed, 1-bath condo. The condo was previously gifted to Sadie as an inheritance, but she ended up going into foreclosure on it. At that time, Zach purchased the condo in short sale so Sadie wouldn't lose her inheritance completely. However, he did not transfer the deed into his name, so technically Sadie's name was still listed as the owner of the condo on the deed despite Zach having the paperwork from the short sale. Legally, it was owned by Zach and he was the one renting it out and collecting payments on it.
At the time of Zach's arrest, Sadie's brother and his girlfriend were the tenants in the condo and had been paying Zach consistently for it. But, because no one had the legal power to handle Zach's finances on his behalf, none of his family was able to step in and take over the control of the rental collection until after his conviction (three years post arrest). Unfortunately, during that time, Sadie knew that Zach was not collecting the rent from her brother, so she intercepted the payments without notifying anyone and began collecting the rent money herself. Sadie did not pay any of the HOA fees or taxes on the condo the entire time she was collecting the rent and obviously Zach was unable to due to being in jail. After his conviction, Zach signed over financial power-of-attorney (POA) to Josh and Josh had a real estate attorney file the deed paperwork and transfer the condo under the ownership of a LLC that is controlled by Josh so he can fix it up and rent it out again for Zach.
In the meantime, the HOA filed a suit for the delinquent HOA fees and Zach, Sadie, and Josh all had to appear for a motion hearing. There was some back and forth as far as the motions filed by the HOA, but ultimately a pre-trial date was set for October 9th.
At the time of Zach's arrest, Sadie's brother and his girlfriend were the tenants in the condo and had been paying Zach consistently for it. But, because no one had the legal power to handle Zach's finances on his behalf, none of his family was able to step in and take over the control of the rental collection until after his conviction (three years post arrest). Unfortunately, during that time, Sadie knew that Zach was not collecting the rent from her brother, so she intercepted the payments without notifying anyone and began collecting the rent money herself. Sadie did not pay any of the HOA fees or taxes on the condo the entire time she was collecting the rent and obviously Zach was unable to due to being in jail. After his conviction, Zach signed over financial power-of-attorney (POA) to Josh and Josh had a real estate attorney file the deed paperwork and transfer the condo under the ownership of a LLC that is controlled by Josh so he can fix it up and rent it out again for Zach.
In the meantime, the HOA filed a suit for the delinquent HOA fees and Zach, Sadie, and Josh all had to appear for a motion hearing. There was some back and forth as far as the motions filed by the HOA, but ultimately a pre-trial date was set for October 9th.
march 4, 2025
IT IS ORDERED that the time for filing a notice of appeal or postconviction motion is extended to June 3, 2025.
March 3, 2025
Natalie filed another extension request. She and Zach continue to work closely together on the PCM, but have some challenges with getting on the same page as to how it should be written. Natalie acknowledges that Zach has a good head for legal arguments, but she states that time constraints and other barriers are making it difficult to navigate. Typically, the lawyer would just write the PCM and submit it to their client as it was submitted to the court, but in this case Zach wants to be more involved. We're still hopeful that all of this extra time will produce the most solid case for his appeal.
December 30, 2024
Finally a little bit of good news! Zach applied for a part-time job in the prison and it was granted to him! He will now spend 15 hours per week working in the law library, which means finally some more time out of his cell. All jobs within the prison pay pennies on the dollar and Zach is still required to pay most of what he earns toward restitution & child support arrears, but keeping busy is absolutely necessary for both his mental and physical health. We couldn't be more thrilled he got the job.
December 26, 2024
IT IS ORDERED that the time for filing a notice of appeal or postconviction motion is extended to March 3, 2025.
December 23, 2024
Another extension request for the PCM was filed due to personal and professional conflicts that arose late in the year for Natalie. She sent a couple rough drafts of the PCM to Zach, but he did not feel that the strongest arguments were being presented and requested some significant changes. Luckily, Natalie truly wants to take Zach's input into consideration and has expressed that she believes he has a good head for legal arguments and he has found relevant case law. They had several phone meetings just this week to continue to bounce ideas off of each other.
Zach has expressed understandable frustration about the delays and is worried about falling into the trap of "harmless error analysis" that courts use to deny appeals. Harmless error analysis is a legal doctrine that allows an appellate court to affirm a criminal conviction even if the trial court made errors. The doctrine is based on the idea that a defendant is entitled to a fair trial, but not a perfect one. An error is considered harmless if it doesn't affect the substantial rights of the parties involved.
Here are some examples of harmless errors:
The difference between a harmless error and a reversible error is that a reversible error requires a conviction to be overturned, while a harmless error does not. Most wrongful convictions end up going through several levels of appeal because of the harmless error analysis that the courts apply to most decisions. Generally, all levels of courts want to affirm a conviction and the idea of "innocent until proven guilty" no longer applies; they now view everything under the lens of proven guilt.
In the meantime, Zach is spending as much time as possible researching case law that could be relevant to the appeal and using his tablet to make outbound phone calls to friends, family, and supporters. Only one hour per day outside of the cell means that he has nothing but downtime to perseverate on the wrongs that have been inflicted on him. We ask everyone to continue to give him as much grace as possible and understand that the psychological fallout of all of this means that he may at times experience a range of emotions from grief, to sadness, to anger. When you have your entire life ripped from you, it's hard to find any joy.
Zach has expressed understandable frustration about the delays and is worried about falling into the trap of "harmless error analysis" that courts use to deny appeals. Harmless error analysis is a legal doctrine that allows an appellate court to affirm a criminal conviction even if the trial court made errors. The doctrine is based on the idea that a defendant is entitled to a fair trial, but not a perfect one. An error is considered harmless if it doesn't affect the substantial rights of the parties involved.
Here are some examples of harmless errors:
- Administrative errors
These errors are usually harmless and can be corrected. Examples include incorrect paperwork filings, errors in scheduling, or errors in sending notifications. - Evidence that is corrected
If a judge allows evidence to be heard that should not have been, but then corrects the mistake and tells the jury to ignore it, this would be considered a harmless error.
The difference between a harmless error and a reversible error is that a reversible error requires a conviction to be overturned, while a harmless error does not. Most wrongful convictions end up going through several levels of appeal because of the harmless error analysis that the courts apply to most decisions. Generally, all levels of courts want to affirm a conviction and the idea of "innocent until proven guilty" no longer applies; they now view everything under the lens of proven guilt.
In the meantime, Zach is spending as much time as possible researching case law that could be relevant to the appeal and using his tablet to make outbound phone calls to friends, family, and supporters. Only one hour per day outside of the cell means that he has nothing but downtime to perseverate on the wrongs that have been inflicted on him. We ask everyone to continue to give him as much grace as possible and understand that the psychological fallout of all of this means that he may at times experience a range of emotions from grief, to sadness, to anger. When you have your entire life ripped from you, it's hard to find any joy.
October 25, 2024
Natalie filed another extension request. The court granted the extension request and the time for filing a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion is extended to December 23, 2024.
October 7, 2024
The court has granted Natalie's extension request and the time for filing a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion is extended to October 25, 2024.
October 4, 2024
Natalie has requested another extension for getting the post-conviction motion (PCM) filed.
September 5, 2024
The court has granted Natalie's extension request and the time for filing a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion is extended to October 4, 2024.
September 4, 2024
Attorney Natalie Wisco filed another short extension request due to some personal and professional scheduling conflicts. Zach is on board with the extension and remains anxious to read the post-conviction motion.
June 21, 2024
The court granted Natalie's extension request, so it was ordered that the time for filing a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion is extended to September 3, 2024.
June 20, 2024
Attorney Natalie Wisco filed another extension request for the initial post-conviction motions (the 1st stage of appeal). She was hoping to be able to submit by the previous June 21st deadline, but she still has some information she is waiting for and does not want to leave anything open-ended. Better to do it right the first time!
June 11, 2024
As expected, the City of Mequon has voted to disallow (deny) Zach's notice of claim for compensation. In their Resolution Disallowing the Claim, they cite two issues: 1) the expiration of the statue of limitations, which they cite as being 120 days from the date of the claim, and 2) that the Mequon PD officers were acting in a mutual aid capacity from the Kenosha PD and, therefore, the City of Kenosha would be the legally responsible party.
Ultimately, this was only a notice of claim and not an actual lawsuit filed against the City of Mequon. Zach has yet to file any civil lawsuits, so these issues have yet to be argued in a court of law.
Ultimately, this was only a notice of claim and not an actual lawsuit filed against the City of Mequon. Zach has yet to file any civil lawsuits, so these issues have yet to be argued in a court of law.
May 21, 2024
Zach has filed a Notice of Claim with the Mequon Police Department. In this claim, Zach puts forth notice that he is seeking $10,000,000 in damages for his loss of personal liberty, loss of property, pain and suffering, loss of income and future earnings, and other damages yet to be determined. Mequon PD was served this Notice of Claim due to the wrongful arrest performed by their officers under the direction of Kenosha PD.
April 1, 2024
As expected, the court granted Natalie's motion and ordered that the time for filing a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion is extended to June 21, 2024.
march 22, 2024
Attorney Natalie Wisco filed a Motion for Extension of Time with the Court of Appeals. Generally, there is a one-year deadline for submitting a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion, so this motion is to request more time to do so. We do not anticipate the court to reject this request.
January 5, 2024
Today Solomon got to visit Zach in person for just the 2nd time in nearly 4 years (the first being only a couple weeks ago before Christmas). Because Zach was initially incarcerated during 2020, at the height of Covid, most jails and prisons eliminated in-person visitation and have been very slow to re-adopt the practice. Currently, the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility, where Zach is housed, only allows in-person visits on Mondays & Fridays between the hours of 8:30am-1:45pm.
Both Zach and Sol were extremely thrilled to be able to spend some time together, playing chess and catching up. It is also the longest periods of time Zach is afforded out of his cell. On any given day he only gets about 45 minutes out of his cell in total. So, the 5 hour hangout in the visitation room was quite the luxury. Happy faces all around!
Both Zach and Sol were extremely thrilled to be able to spend some time together, playing chess and catching up. It is also the longest periods of time Zach is afforded out of his cell. On any given day he only gets about 45 minutes out of his cell in total. So, the 5 hour hangout in the visitation room was quite the luxury. Happy faces all around!
|
|
December 6, 2023
Today is the premiere of the Wrongful Podcast! This is a podcast that takes a deep dive into Zach's case and the events surrounding. Created by a group of supporters, this provides an independent perspective on what the evidence shows--or doesn't. Using trial evidence, testimony, post-trial interviews, police reports, and more, Wrongful Podcast breaks down how the events in question led to the Wrongful Conviction of Zachariah Anderson. Please like, share, and have a listen!
"Back in March of this year I watched a trial on YouTube from Kenosha Wisconsin. It was labeled the “obsessed ex-boyfriend murder trial”. The man was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. When I heard the verdict I was shocked. Nothing I heard had me convinced of guilt. I quickly went down a rabbit hole looking at the case and found other people like me who weren’t convinced. So we got together and did a thing" - Josie
Listen to Wrongful Podcast Here
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeart Radio, & Amazon Music
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, iHeart Radio, & Amazon Music
November 27, 2023:
Ding Dong! Judge Bruce Schroeder, Wisconsin's longest serving circuit court judge and the one who refused to give Zach a fair and impartial trial, has officially retired. Although Judge Schroeder was widely known as a fair and well-versed, it was clear to us that his bias in favor of the prosecution was going to play a major role in the outcome of the trial. From the moment he was assigned to Zach's case, he denied every motion the defense presented and, at times, blatantly refused to even read their briefs.
Then, in September 2022, just before Zach's trial was supposed to start, we were notified that he had sustained a fall and was hospitalized; Zach's trial had to be postponed yet again because no other judge was available that didn't have some sort of personal connection to the case. We thought, surely, there was no way this man would be back to preside after the severity of his head injury; he had to undergo two craniotomies, which are often performed to reduce the pressure and swelling caused by a traumatic brain injury. It was clear that he would likely be cognitively impaired, and he certainly was.
Despite the head injury, and despite the fact that he was not actually assigned to criminal cases by that point, he returned to oversee Zach's jury trial. When the stake was a possible life sentence in prison and more, he opted to pretend as though the life-threatening brain injury had had no impact and returned to work. If you haven't already watched it, I implore you to go back and watch Judge Schroeder during Kyle Rittenhouse's trial--it is like Schroeder is operating on hyperspeed compared to during Zach's trial. By March of 2023, Judge Schroeder had suffered a noticeable loss of comprehension, fluency, and attention span. He ruled the courtroom with "ahhhs," "ummms," rambling irrelevant stories, postponed decisions that he would never actually make, and statements such as, "I'm not going to tell you what to do" and "Man, how did I miss so much of that question?"
So, whether it was because of his bias--which he openly admits on day 4 of trial--his impaired cognitive functioning, or both, Judge Schroeder failed in his role of gatekeeper and allowed in mostly hearsay and otherwise inadmissible evidence to ensure that the prosecution could try to make a case out of nothing. Judge Schroeder's ultimate goal was to push off every decision and leave everything in the hands of the jury--12 people who couldn't possibly know how to interpret the law or rule a courtroom.
So, to Judge Schroeder, from the bottom of our hearts, we say:
Then, in September 2022, just before Zach's trial was supposed to start, we were notified that he had sustained a fall and was hospitalized; Zach's trial had to be postponed yet again because no other judge was available that didn't have some sort of personal connection to the case. We thought, surely, there was no way this man would be back to preside after the severity of his head injury; he had to undergo two craniotomies, which are often performed to reduce the pressure and swelling caused by a traumatic brain injury. It was clear that he would likely be cognitively impaired, and he certainly was.
Despite the head injury, and despite the fact that he was not actually assigned to criminal cases by that point, he returned to oversee Zach's jury trial. When the stake was a possible life sentence in prison and more, he opted to pretend as though the life-threatening brain injury had had no impact and returned to work. If you haven't already watched it, I implore you to go back and watch Judge Schroeder during Kyle Rittenhouse's trial--it is like Schroeder is operating on hyperspeed compared to during Zach's trial. By March of 2023, Judge Schroeder had suffered a noticeable loss of comprehension, fluency, and attention span. He ruled the courtroom with "ahhhs," "ummms," rambling irrelevant stories, postponed decisions that he would never actually make, and statements such as, "I'm not going to tell you what to do" and "Man, how did I miss so much of that question?"
So, whether it was because of his bias--which he openly admits on day 4 of trial--his impaired cognitive functioning, or both, Judge Schroeder failed in his role of gatekeeper and allowed in mostly hearsay and otherwise inadmissible evidence to ensure that the prosecution could try to make a case out of nothing. Judge Schroeder's ultimate goal was to push off every decision and leave everything in the hands of the jury--12 people who couldn't possibly know how to interpret the law or rule a courtroom.
So, to Judge Schroeder, from the bottom of our hearts, we say:
November 16, 2023:
Attorney Natalie Wisco has received the majority of Zach's discovery from Birdsall, Obear, & Associates and has already been diligently pouring through the information. We are excited to see her dedication in action!
November 6, 2023:
Attorney Natalie Wisco had a lengthy meeting with Zach today to discuss the appeal process and expectations. Natalie was also able to obtain copies of all the trial transcripts, which are necessary for preparing the appellate brief. One step in the right direction!
October 26, 2023:
We have recently learned that, although no official statement has been released, Judge Bruce Schroeder plans to retire next month. This is potentially a huge deal for Zach's appeal. As it stands, one of the first steps of the appeal process is to submit post-conviction motions to the trial court in an attempt to have the lower court judge either overturn the verdict or submit for a re-trial. If Judge Schroeder was to still be on the bench when Zach's motions are eventually filed, he would be the one to review these post-conviction motions and, most likely, just rubber stamp his own prior decisions. If Judge Schroeder is retired by the time Zach's motions are filed, he is guaranteed a new judge to review the information presented and has a much higher likelihood of successful appeal. From our understanding going into Zach's trial, most other judges within Kenosha county were ineligible to try the case due to personal conflicts, such as personal relationships with the parties involved. There may not be any judges left within the Kenosha Circuit Court that can sit on the case, which means it also has a good chance of being moved out of district--another advantage for Zach.
October 4, 2023:
Today we were made aware that Tiffany Roy, a Forensic DNA Expert with ForensicAid, of her own volition submitted a formal complaint to the Division of Forensic Sciences (DFS) at the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the DNA testimony of Crime Lab Analyst Lisa Treffinger. In the complaint she states:
"Treffinger’s opinion that A1 was blood was based on no scientific tests, no scientific data, it was pure opinion and would never satisfy the legal standards that govern scientific evidence in US courts... Treffinger testified that 'My opinion is that it was blood,' when describing the possible cellular origins of item A1. This was based on no testing, no facts, no data. It was based only on the appearance of the stain. That is pure speculation. She further stated that, 'skin cells don’t give a robust profile,' which is completely, scientifically untrue and that as to item A1, 'It is my opinion that it was blood.' I have never, in my 16-year career, witnessed a DNA analyst extend so far outside of their expertise."
We are extremely appreciative of professionals like Tiffany that have lent their voice to correcting this miscarriage of justice. The full complaint can be found under the Unseen Evidence tab, here.
"Treffinger’s opinion that A1 was blood was based on no scientific tests, no scientific data, it was pure opinion and would never satisfy the legal standards that govern scientific evidence in US courts... Treffinger testified that 'My opinion is that it was blood,' when describing the possible cellular origins of item A1. This was based on no testing, no facts, no data. It was based only on the appearance of the stain. That is pure speculation. She further stated that, 'skin cells don’t give a robust profile,' which is completely, scientifically untrue and that as to item A1, 'It is my opinion that it was blood.' I have never, in my 16-year career, witnessed a DNA analyst extend so far outside of their expertise."
We are extremely appreciative of professionals like Tiffany that have lent their voice to correcting this miscarriage of justice. The full complaint can be found under the Unseen Evidence tab, here.
October 3, 2023:
Yesterday was the 10th annual International Wrongful Conviction Day. In recognition of Zach's wrongful conviction, Solomon joined a panel of legal professionals for a livestream to discuss the case. The stream was a great success and can be found on the "Watch the Interviews" page under Legal Vices.
On the stream, Solomon made the announcement that Zach will be represented in his appeal by Attorney Natalie Wisco. Natalie is best recognized for her role in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, where she assisted in securing Not Guilty verdicts on all counts. All of the donations to the GiveSendGo fund have made retaining her possible and we cannot thank everyone enough. We look forward to working with her and are confident in her professionalism, knowledge, and desire for true justice for Zach.
On the stream, Solomon made the announcement that Zach will be represented in his appeal by Attorney Natalie Wisco. Natalie is best recognized for her role in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, where she assisted in securing Not Guilty verdicts on all counts. All of the donations to the GiveSendGo fund have made retaining her possible and we cannot thank everyone enough. We look forward to working with her and are confident in her professionalism, knowledge, and desire for true justice for Zach.
September 27, 2023:
Solomon Anderson will be live-streaming with Legal Vices on Monday, October 2, 2023 @ 8:00pm CDT. The stream will be in recognition of the 10th annual International Wrongful Conviction Day. Please watch and like this promo video, brought to you by our supporter, Vielhammer Media.
September 15, 2023:
Good news! Zach was notified that he was made eligible for a publicly appointed appellate defender. Although he still has to wait for the appointment of said counsel, it is a step in the right direction toward his appeal. We do not have a timeframe on how long it takes for counsel to be appointed.
Initially, his application was denied because the court determined he didn't meet the financial eligibility criteria. In order to qualify for publicly appointed counsel, one must have certain income and asset limitations. However, after he filed for an appeal of that decision, they were able to clear up the previous issues and were able to overturn that decision.
Initially, his application was denied because the court determined he didn't meet the financial eligibility criteria. In order to qualify for publicly appointed counsel, one must have certain income and asset limitations. However, after he filed for an appeal of that decision, they were able to clear up the previous issues and were able to overturn that decision.
September 8, 2023:
Today, a camera crew hired by Law & Crime productions, went to the house of Solomon Anderson and interviewed him for a new series they are launching, "Behind the Crime." The executive producer, Stacy, asked questions in relation to Zach's case and Solomon was recorded answering said questions. Other parties involved with the case were also interviewed, including Sadie Beacham, Michael Campbell, Kenosha Detectives, and Zach's daughter.
At this time, it is unknown what angle they will take with the series. They stated prior to the interview that it will be a fair and balanced look at the entire case and investigation process, rather than just presenting what was shown in the courtroom. They gave no inkling as to whether they will be fair in their representation of the fight for Zach's exoneration, but Stacy did mention certain things even she felt the state fell short on proving. Solomon made sure to make it known that Law & Crime is partially to blame for Zach's wrongful conviction due to their slanderous headlines. Stacy's response: "Fair enough."
At this time, it is unknown what angle they will take with the series. They stated prior to the interview that it will be a fair and balanced look at the entire case and investigation process, rather than just presenting what was shown in the courtroom. They gave no inkling as to whether they will be fair in their representation of the fight for Zach's exoneration, but Stacy did mention certain things even she felt the state fell short on proving. Solomon made sure to make it known that Law & Crime is partially to blame for Zach's wrongful conviction due to their slanderous headlines. Stacy's response: "Fair enough."
