STOP THE CRUEL PUNISHMENT OF AN INNOCENT MAN, ZACHARY PETTUS!

At the age of 19 years old, Zachary F. Pettus came to California from his home state of Ohio for a new beginning, with his sister Veronica. But within a few months of arriving here, he found that California was not for him, so he decided to return to Ohio. And, instead of calling back to Ohio and asking his family to send him money, he decided to take a leave of absence from school and to seek work to raise money for his way back home.

On the morning of October 18, 1983 Mister Pettus went to several businesses looking for work. Several business owners confirm this. Mister Pettus went to the Vintage Clothing Store asking the owner Darlene Hazboun about possible employment. She took his name and contact information after telling him she has a small store and she does not need allot of assistance, but she may occasionally need temporary help when large shipments come through. Soon afterwards Zachary left to go play basketball. While Zachary was waiting across the street at the bus stop, he was approached by a girl he knew from school by the name of Darcy. Darcy also claims she was looking for work that day, but had no luck. Soon afterwards, Zachary left and went to play basketball.

On October 19th, 1983 at or about 1330 to 1355, (1:30 PM to 1:55 PM), Darlene Hazboun the owner of the Vintage Clothing Store was brutally murdered in her place of business. The victim struggled with her assailant, she was hog tied, gagged, strangled with a tie from the store and stabbed repeat ably, two stab wounds were so deep, they went from the victims chest straight down to her back. It was a very bloody crime scene. There was also blood and skin found under the victims nails, but was never tested. Money was taken from the scene, and the store ransacked. The victims dog was also left tied at the crime scene, but left unharmed but shaking.

A witness at the scene stated that she saw a young African-American male in athletic clothing in the store around 1:15 PM, he blocked her from coming into the store saying the owner had stepped out, but would be back in 10 minutes, and then he smiled at her. The witness left and went to a near by store and told the owner what she had observed. The owner stated, (without even seeing the young man, “Oh! That must have been the same one that was here the day before.”) 10 minutes later, the owner of that business and the witness returned to the vintage clothing store, only to discover the door was locked, and no-one in site.

The witness left the premises, while the other store owner returned to her place of business and called the owner of the strip mall to tell him what was happening, and he agreed to come right over. In the meantime, a Huntington Beach (HB) police officer saw a young African-American male walking away from the seen of the crime around the same time the crime would have taken place. Another witness stated she saw that same male around the scene of the crime. Both the civilian witness and the police officer identified this same male, and it was not Zachary Pettus. The police officer saw this same suspect again at the police department days after Zachary was in custody, reporting an alleged stolen bike. (Ironically, this same suspect fit the description given by witnesses as being in and around the strip mall on a bike days before the robbery/murder.) This same man was interviewed by the HB police department and was not cooperative, and was never questioned about why he was in the area the day of the crime. He also has an extensive police record, and has been investigated as a suspect in a murder in Los Angeles within the last 10 years. This suspect was also a friend of Zachary’s sister, Veronica and had access to the apartment. However, he was not a friend of Zachary’s, this fact was verified by several witnesses, and Zachary admits to not liking the suspect or knowing him only as a friend of his sister. As a matter of fact this suspect was loitering around the area when Zachary was arrested, and actually went up to officers and started asking questions. Something Zachary did not know until the police told him this at his initial interrogation. (The police also suspected this suspect until they questioned him and he became defensive and combative. And his mother started playing the race card, and the police backed off him and never pursued their leads.)

Another more reliable witness stated that 1300 PM - 1310 PM, (1:00 PM - 1:10 PM), he saw the victim through the open door of her business, standing at the counter, but no-one else was in the store. This witness was a UPS delivery driver that was making a delivery at a business across from the victim’s and recognized the victim because he had delivered to her before. And another witness stated she got off work at 1:00 PM, and drove around the corner to the store, which took less then 10 minutes. She went into the store, which was on the second level of the strip mall. She stated she went into the vintage clothing store and paid $3 on her layaway to Ms. Hazboun, looked around for 5 minutes and then exited the store. The victim was alive and no-one else was in the store. (When the police crime scene video was viewed, the $3 was still laid out on the counter when the victim was found at 2:15 PM.) The victims husband stated he spoke to his wife at 1:30 PM and she was fine then. So, the witness that stated she came in at 1:15 was off on her times. The part-time worker at the vintage clothing store had to use her key and open the door of the business at 2:00 PM, and she was followed in by another witness, and both stated they did not see anything. The shopper was joined by her aunt to shop, and the victim was found behind a partisan by her employee at 2:15 PM, when she asked the customers to leave and she called the police.

Mister Pettus was taken into custody at 2020, (8:20 PM), the same day, and has been in custody ever since. The police were led to Mister Pettus by Darcy that was and is an admitted and proven liar and thief. Darcy told police she heard about the crime from a small child, and that the day before Darcy claims Zachary told her she could make money if she called around to different businesses in the area to find out what their security systems were, how many employees they have, and their busiest time of day. With this information, Darcy said Zachary said he had a friend that would rob the businesses. Darcy said she turned him down because “she‘s not a thief!” However, Darcy had an axe to grind with Mister Pettus after he chose her friend to date over her, also other witnesses stated that Darcy may have been involved with this crime.

After Mister Pettus was taken into custody, the police asked him for permission to search his home, and he readily agreed to the search. The HB police department also received permission from his sister Veronica that same night. Two officers did a preliminary search that same night of the apartment, Zachary’s room, and with large industrial type flashlights, all dumpsters surrounding Zachary’s apartment, but found nothing. The next morning a large group of crime scene specialists and police officers with a police dog, descended onto the apartment Zachary shared with his sister, when they arrived, no-one was there. So, they went through a window, along with the specially trained police dog. By the time his sister, another parent of one of Zachary‘s friends, Mrs. Barbara Junious, and his attorney Milton Grimes and the defense investigator, David Sandberg arrived at Mister Pettus’s home, the police were concluding their search. They had found nothing. Afterwards, Milton Grimes and his investigator searched and found nothing, and then his sister changed the room around. (Which Mister Pettus’s attorney told her off for doing.) A few days later the police returned and searched again, however, the only thing they found was a suit which was later discovered to belong to Mister Pettus’s brother Carlos, the suit had $40 in the pockets, but it was not in change, or in singles and fives that were taken from the crime scene. The money found in the suit pocket was tens and twenties, and proven later to belong to Mister Pettus’s brother Carlos. And, once again, Milton Grimes and his investigator followed the police search with one of their own, and nothing was found.

A few days later, the victims husband told the police some jewelry was missing, so the police returned back to Mister Pettus’s apartment, and within a few minutes they found it right in the open on the stereo in a open container with a few pennies. However, the defense team, and at least 4 other people that were in the room in question the day before the jewelry was discovered, stated the jewelry was not there prior to the discovery by the police. Plus, other HB crime scene investigators that were in Zachary’s room for the first few police searches stated they did not observe any jewelry in the container. Furthermore, the victim was found with several thousand dollars of rings on her fingers and a gold watch and bracelet on her wrist. The necklaces were worth under $200. The business made little or no money, and the victim had only petty cash in the store because she made a bank deposit that morning. The only money taken into the store was $3 paid on the layaway earlier. The store had only been open since 12 noon. But, the suspect went past a liquor store doing a thriving business on the first level, to rob a store on the second level, that made little or no money. And, did not take the money left in the open and expensive jewelry on the victims hands and wrist.

And, as for the timeline for the murder, the evidence actually shows the murder happened between 1330-1355, (1:30 PM to 1:55 PM). Several reliable witnesses placed Mister Pettus elsewhere at the time of the crime. There is a bank teller that waited on him around 1:30 PM, a neighbor saw him walking from the direction of the bank after she returned from work around 1:50 PM. Another bank teller also confirmed she saw Zachary in the bank at 1:30 PM. And an employee at a Photo Mat booth in the parking lot of the bank, stated she saw Zachary twice, after 1:15 PM, she also spoke to him around 1:45 PM on the 19th of October. And a school bus driver saw Zachary in front of his home at 12:50 PM when she dropped children off. And a number of those students also identified Mister Pettus because they got off the bus and started to play with Mister Pettus, (some of which came to court.) Another neighbor saw Zachary at his mailbox at 1:05 PM. (The crime scene is about a ½ a mile from the Pettus apartment, and the bank complex is right across the street from the Pettus apartment.) Every one of these witnesses stated that Zachary was wearing jeans and a polo shirt, and those that had close contact with him, stated he smelled strongly of cologne. He also was very calm, friendly and did not seem fazed about anything. This is very different from what the witnesses at the crime scene stated the suspect was wearing, and the witness that actually stated that she spoke with the suspect did not state he smelled of cologne, nor was he wearing jeans and a polo shirt, but athletic gear. So, as you can see, how could Mister Pettus be in two places at one time, and in different outfits?

The witness from the crime scene also did not identify Mister Pettus, but identified his brother and another African-American male sitting in the courtroom, she did not identify Mister Pettus until he stood up in shackles. (He also did not fit the composite sketch, or the physical description of the assailant given by the witnesses.)

The murder weapon, bloody clothes, and money taken from the crime scene were never found, and the police contend that Mister Pettus made it the ½ to ¾ mile from the crime scene to his home, and changed out of the bloody clothes before the first neighbor saw him in 4 to 5 minutes, without being seen covered in blood and running, which is impossible. Mister Pettus was also checked for scratches on the 19th, and he had no wounds on his body. The HB police department dusted for prints extensively at the crime scene the day of the crime, and did not find any that belonged to Zachary. However, a few days later they returned and allegedly found a partial print on a place they had dusted extensively the days before. They attributed the partial print to Zachary, but it was hotly contested in court and found not to have enough identifying points to belong to Zachary.

The police department received an tip that they had the wrong person in custody and that the girl that gave a statement about the case was the actual person that did the crime. The police recorded the tip, but ignored it. They also did not verify Darcy’s story about looking for a job on October 18h, like they did Zachary. Nor did they verify her story on how she found out about the crime even before it was reported, and why she was out of school so early, and why she was not living at home with her mother. As a matter of fact, they just took her story at face value and ran with it, ignoring other evidence.

Mister Pettus had no criminal record, not even a Jay walking ticket prior to the crime, nor has he received any disciplinary actions in 28+ years since he has been in custody. Mister Pettus has always professed his innocence from day one, and has never deviated. Mister Pettus has earned 7 degrees, including his Doctrine since being in custody. He has also become an ordained Minster, and ministers to his fellow inmates and some prison personnel daily. And according to all reports from friends, acquaintances and family that know Zachary, as well as prison staff, Zachary has no violent tendencies.

Furthermore, a couple of jurors admitted, in writing that they were bullied by other jurors to vote for a guilty verdict when they actually was not convinced of his guilt. As a matter of fact, the newspapers reported that several jurors came back into the courtroom to have their verdict read in tears, and the very respected judge, the Honorable Judge Mc Bride that presided over the trial, took the death penalty off the table, and gave the other alternative verdict of Life without the possibility of Parole. Which made the paper call for his head. The judge has always maintained that he believed an innocent man was sent to prison, and to this day the bailiff from Mister Pettus’s trial still keeps updated on his well being.

Also, there were several questionable and illegal actions by jurors during the trial, which was documented in the ‘Request for a New Trial,’ which was denied. One juror, whose son delivered papers, brought in an article about a witness in the trial, and shared it with fellow jurors. Another witness went to the crime scene with her husband, during the trial. Another juror was heard to refer to Zachary as “that nigga.” Another juror also heard Darcy Belvin talk about the case in the hallway of the courtroom during the trial. Another juror overheard another witness from the crime scene refer to Zachary as “a nigga that is wasting my time!” Zachary’s jury was made of 1 African-American male, and 11 White, and held in Westminster, California, less then 7 miles from the crime scene, when most Capitol murder trials in Orange County are held in Santa Ana. Also, 3 days after Zachary was taken into custody, another young woman was stabbed to death and robbed less then 2 miles from the Hazboun crime scene. There were no witnesses, nor has it ever been solved.

Allot of evidence was ignored by both the defense, prosecution, and the police department. For instant, no-one pulled the bank surveillance tapes for October 19th. No-one asked the various businesses to verify that Darcy Belvin came in looking for work on October 18th, because according to police reports every business she said she went too, was not hiring, she didn’t put any applications in, or she states it did not look like they were hiring so she didn’t approach anyone. They did not investigate the tip they received about Zachary being the wrong person, just dismissed it as “someone trying to help the suspect.” There were so many people that identified the other suspect that were more reliable then the witnesses that identified Zachary. No-one called the other suspect as a witness or explored his alibi. No-one examined the timeline to verify that Zachary had the time to commit the crime. So many things were not done properly by all sides in this case! Even the ‘Motion for a New Trial’ was erroneous. Milton Grimes should have requested a mistrial based on juror misconduct, there was ample evidence to support that, but a motion for a new trial is granted only when there are procedural issues by the judge and/or prosecution. There were so many witnesses never called or evidence never presented. DNA has never been tested or challenged in this case.

Today, “Angels For Justice’ is seeking to right this wrong and seek justice for Zachary Pettus as well as Darlene Hazboun. We're asking the California State Govenor, Edmund 'Jerry' G. Brown Jr. to sign Clemency Papers based on Factual Innocence.  Please help us right a wrong, and to make police find the right suspect and get justice for the victim!