'House of horrors': Male couple convicted of sexually abusing their adopted boys will spend the rest of their lives in prison

A Georgia couple have been convicted of sexually abusing their two adopted boys and will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

In August, 34-year-old William Zulock pleaded guilty to six counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of aggravated child molestation, two counts of incest, and two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

'These two defendants truly created a house of horrors and put their extremely dark desires above everything and everyone else.'

In October, 36-year-old Zachary Zulock pleaded guilty to 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 to a person under 18.

Last week, Judge Jeffrey L. Foster sentenced both males to serve 100 years in prison followed by life on probation. Because of the severity of their crimes, neither of them will be eligible for parole for the entire 100-year sentence.

Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney Randy McGinley said in a statement, “I am grateful for the hard work of so many to obtain an appropriate outcome in this case. The hard work of law enforcement put an end to the abuse suffered by the victims, and this resolution will help the victims continue their process of healing. William and Zachary Zulock will now spend 100 years in prison without parole. This all but guarantees that the victims will not have to worry as they grow older about their abusers being free."

McGinley added, "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. The sentence imposed not only appropriately punishes these defendants for their repeated selfish actions but also sends the message to the public that such actions will never be taken lightly."

The district attorney said the fathers of the adopted children "created a house of horrors."

"These two defendants truly created a house of horrors and put their extremely dark desires above everything and everyone else," McGinley proclaimed. "However, the depth of the defendants’ depravity, which is as deep as it gets, is not greater than the resolve of those that fought for justice and the strength of the victims in this case. The resolve I have seen from these two young victims over the last two years is truly inspiring."

Townhall reported that the house had a "secret," windowless room the size of a closet hidden behind a movable bookcase in the home office. A relative reportedly said the house felt like something out of "a horror movie."

As Blaze News reported in August 2022, authorities in Georgia received a "cyber tip" that a man was downloading child sexual abuse material. On July 27, 2022, detectives with the Criminal Investigation Division of the Walton County Sheriff's Office obtained a search warrant and raided a home in Loganville — a town about 35 miles northeast of Atlanta.

"During the subsequent interview with the suspect, it was discovered that he was, in fact, receiving/collecting [child sexual abuse material] and that a secondary suspect lived in Walton County," the Walton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "Detectives were told that this secondary suspect was producing homemade child sexual abuse material with at least one child who lived in the home with the perpetrator."

The suspect — Hunter Lawless — allegedly informed authorities that he had received the illicit photos and videos from Zachary Zulock. Lawless allegedly agreed to fully cooperate in any prosecution of the Zulocks and later pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to 20 years.

The next day, investigators conducted a search on a second home in nearby Oxford, which is the residence of William and Zachary Zulock. During the search of the home, police officers determined that the two adult males who lived at the residence were "engaging in sexually abusive acts and video documenting this abuse," according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office.

The Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office said, "A thorough analysis found videos of multiple incidents of the defendants committing sexual abuse in different parts of the house. Cell phones were analyzed which contained graphic images and videos of the abuse as well as graphic text and social media messages about the sexual abuse."

The New York Post reported that Zachary bragged about the sexual abuse, writing in a Snapchat message to Lawless: "I'm going to f*** my son tonight. Stand by." He allegedly then sent photos of the boy being sexually abused.

As Blaze News previously reported, the 17-page indictment said the couple "allegedly performed oral sex on both boys, forced the children to perform oral sex on them, and anally raped their sons."

The two males were arrested in August 2022 and accused of using their two adopted children to make child pornography. At the time of the arrest, the young victims reportedly were in third and fourth grade.

Investigators said the Zulocks had adopted two young boys a few years before their arrest.

Authorities said the victims are "now safe" after the Walton County Division of Family & Children Services took the young boys into care.

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