Inset: Zachary Perez (Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center). Background: The Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (Google Maps).
New details have surfaced in the troubling case of a 42-year-old man in Florida who stands accused of mistreating his 6-year-old stepson. The allegations include severe physical abuse such as beating, kicking, and whipping the child with a switch. Additionally, it is reported that the man placed a dog collar around the child’s neck and vigorously pulled it, causing the victim to be lifted off his feet. These actions highlight the various forms of criminal mistreatment that the child was purportedly subjected to.
The defendant, Zachary Perez, is currently facing one count of aggravated child abuse resulting in great bodily harm.
During a court appearance in a Miami-Dade courtroom, prosecutors from the state attorney’s office requested Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Richard Hersch to keep the accused, Perez, in detention until the trial proceedings. The prosecutors described Perez as “a ticking time bomb,” as detailed in a report from Miami ABC affiliate WPLG.
Further allegations against Perez came to light through testimonies of law enforcement officials who spoke during the hearing. They referenced surveillance footage from inside the family’s residence, shedding light on the conditions they observed and the state in which the alleged victim was found upon their arrival.
In addition to the alleged beatings and use of a dog collar, the deputies said that Perez also forced the 6-year-old to run while wearing a backpack filled with rocks.
“The defendant had beat, punched him in the face multiple times, put a dog leash around his neck,” a deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office reportedly said. “He had swollen eyes from being hit, he had numerous marks from the tree branch. He had a couple of scratches, a couple of bruises. He had a rash on his neck from the collar.”
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The deputy also recounted text messages Perez allegedly sent to the victim’s mother after she reported his allegedly abusive behavior to authorities.
“He said ‘Get home,”” the deputy testified. “He was going to make her pay. He said, ‘You’ll remember Mother’s Day.’”
Assistant State Attorney Wily Wisset told the court that since Perez’s arrest, her office had received multiple calls from women previously involved in relationships with the defendant who claimed to have witnessed or experienced similar abuse at his hands and were afraid of him, Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.
“He freaks out. He threatens to kill them. He says he will kill his ex-wife, his kids, he’s going to kill everybody. And he threatens them with a gun,” prosecutors reportedly said.
Testifying on behalf of her son, Perez’s mother reportedly said he suffered from a traumatic brain injury and PTSD as a result of his time serving with the Marine Corps in Iraq. She asked that he be placed on house arrest so he could receive mental health treatment, but Hersch ultimately rejected the request. He granted prosecutors’ request to keep Perez in pretrial detention but also allowed the defense to present the results of a mental health evaluation in the future.
As Law&Crime previously reported, on the evening of Thursday, May 8, 2025, Perez and the child were both in their family home in southwest Miami-Dade County when Perez punched the little boy in the face with a closed fist several times. The punches reportedly caused the child to suffer multiple bruises.
Later that same evening, Perez allegedly grabbed a dog collar and fastened it around the boy’s neck. Holding an attached dog leash, authorities said Perez repeatedly positioned himself behind the victim and forcefully yanked the leash, pulling the boy to the ground.
Perez is alleged to have abused the boy in this manner for two days before authorities were called to the home on Saturday, May 10.
Perez remains in detention at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.
