Help Zachary Vanderhorst Rebuild His Life

Zachary Vanderhorst served 46 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. In 2020, a court vacated his murder conviction and released him from prison. A year later, the court declared him factually innocent of rape and removed him from the sex offender registry. But while he is now free, Zachary's financial condition is dire and getting worse.

Because Zachary was imprisoned for almost his entire adult life, he had few employment options. In 2020, Zachary got a job cleaning public bathrooms in San Francisco, and for a few months he was able to contribute a small amount to his sister's family who supported him in their Oakland apartment. But in 2021, a botched surgery to treat glaucoma left Zachary blind. Unable to work or navigate the world independently, Zachary now depends entirely on limited public benefits that do not meet his basic needs. His family helps where they can, but their resources are stretched thin. He urgently needs support.

Zachary is deeply grateful for any contribution--every dollar goes directly to him, and helps him survive. More about his story is below. Thank you.

****

Zachary's Wrongful Convictions and Exoneration:

Zachary was arrested in 1974 when he was 19 years old. He was not released from custody until he was 65. Back when he was arrested, his attorney pressured him into pleading guilty to multiple crimes—including felony murder and rape—by falsely telling Zachary that he would receive the death penalty if he did not accept a plea deal to serve life in prison. Though Zachary's attorney emphasized the possibility of parole, Zachary remained skeptical. Although he had left school in the 10th grade, he knew enough to question the logic of pleading guilty to crimes he didn’t commit. Despite his protests, however, his lawyer advanced the plea without conducting even a basic investigation.

Moments before entering court for the plea hearing, Zachary--sitting in the court's holding cell--again objected. This time, Zachary's co-defendant’s attorney interrupted, shouted at him, called him ugly racial slurs, and demanded that Zachary “be a man” and plead guilty for his mother’s sake. Zachary’s lawyer said nothing. Under extreme pressure and seemingly no options, Zachary pled guilty. (His co-defendant’s case was dismissed for lack of evidence.)

Years later, Zachary told the parole board the truth: he was innocent. The parole board didn’t believe him. They took his refusal to admit his guilt and describe his crimes as proof that he was unrepentant. Over the next five decades, the same pattern repeated. Each time Zachary told the truth, it was used against him. Zachary eventually became one of the longest-serving inmates in California history—far exceeding the average time served for similar crimes.

In 2019, California changed its felony murder laws, finally allowing Zachary to challenge his conviction. Zachary obtained help from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office and Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP. Together, they conducted the first, thorough investigation of the crimes for which Zachary had been wrongly convicted.

Despite the cold record, at his retrial Zachary’s attorneys presented compelling evidence of his innocence: eyewitnesses to the murder initially described a shooter who looked nothing like Zachary—six inches taller, fifty pounds heavier, and a different skin color. (And no mention of Zachary's distinctive curly afro, which he wore proudly as a teenager before losing his hair in prison). Witnesses only identified Zachary after several flawed lineups, one of which involved police placing him in a bright yellow jacket to draw attention. The legal team also authenticated letters from the lead homicide inspector who handled Zachary's case that stated that Zachary was not the shooter and named the real one: Zachary’s co-defendant, who later committed other killings in the 1970s and 1980s. Zachary’s attorneys further proved he was innocent of rape, presenting photographic evidence supporting his alibi and obtaining a sworn statement exonerating Zachary from one of the real perpetrators.

Life After Prison

Zachary is very grateful to be free and to have cleared his name. But he was released with nothing. For over a year after his release, he remained on the sex offender registry as his lawyers fought to clear the rape charge. Zachary was able to find work cleaning bathrooms in San Francisco's public parks. During that time, strangers who found his photo online harassed him and called him a rapist. This was particularly bewildering and upsetting for Zachary, since he had entered prison before the invention of personal computers, let alone the internet.

In 2021, doctors told Zachary that his glaucoma—left untreated during his incarceration—required surgery. The surgery was botched, and he lost vision in one eye. Within months, he went blind in the other. Blindness isolated Zachary even further and made it impossible for him to keep working. He became completely dependent on his family, who were already struggling financially.

A $280 Insult

In 2024, Zachary filed a petition with the California Victim’s Compensation Board to receive some recompense for his erroneous convictions and resulting incarceration.

Zachary never expected any amount to make up for what had been stolen from him. He was incarcerated when his mother died, when several siblings passed away, and when his son was born, grew up, struggled in school, and was ultimately incarcerated himself. No money could restore those years, nor could it undo the trauma of nearly five decades in prison—especially the constant fear of assault he faced after being falsely labeled a rapist. No sum could give him back his sight, or erase the trauma that still makes it difficult for him to sleep or even accept a hug from a loved one.

But compensation would have helped him live with dignity. It would have meant a bed rather than a sleeping bag on his sister’s couch. It would have meant groceries instead of hunger when his disability check ran out before the end of the month.

Instead, in March 2025, the Board awarded Zachary a total of $280. That’s less than two pennies for each day he spent in prison—and not even enough to cover a single week of living expenses in San Francisco. Zachary was devastated. But he doesn’t have time to dwell on the injustice. Survival demands his focus.

You Can Help

Zachary's legal team is now raising funds to help him stay afloat. As a disabled senior citizen, Zachary needs money for essentials: food, clothing, hygiene products, transportation, and rent. Your contribution--no matter how small--will help Zachary experience something he was denied for most of his life: kindness and generosity from strangers. Thank you.