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More than three decades since a 30-year-old man was shot to death inside his home in unincorporated Hayward, the longtime cold case has been solved, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office representatives announced Monday.
Zachary Jackson, originally from Modesto, was found dead June 17, 1993, and is believed to have been killed three days prior, lead investigator and sheriff’s detective Patrick Smyth said at a joint press conference with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
Over the years, witnesses have come forward with information about the case, but now there is enough evidence to prove without a reasonable doubt that the two suspects are guilty, District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said at the press conference in Dublin on Monday morning.
On Nov. 6, Jackson’s ex-girlfriend Veronica Fonseca, 54, and her then-boyfriend Anthony Fox, 56, were arrested in New York and Iowa, respectively. Both suspects have been charged with the murder of Jackson as well as burglary and are awaiting extradition to California, Smyth said.
While Fonseca and Fox were both allegedly present at Jackson’s killing, Fox is the one accused of pulling the trigger.
“We cannot forget that victims desire and require closure in cases. And this is a case that took 32 years to get there, but all the same, we don’t stop the work,” Jones Dickson said. “This case will be charged and charged appropriately.”
During an initial investigation, no eye witnesses were located in the 1993 murder but a neighbor reported hearing several rapid gunshots on the evening of June 13 or June 14, Smyth said.
Investigators also found that Jackson had an ongoing dispute with his landlord, a lead that took center stage in the investigation.
At the time of his death, Jackson and Fonseca split custody of their 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
Fonseca was interviewed several times by investigators but there was no indication of her being involved in the case, Smyth said.
Although investigators were aware that Fonseca and Fox were dating in 1993, Fox was not interviewed at the time, Smyth said. It is unclear why he was not interviewed, the detective added.
After a few months of investigation and no suspects, the case went cold.
About 20 years later in 2014, a caller to the sheriff’s Cold Case Unit alleged that Fonseca and Fox were responsible for Jackson’s murder.
Cold case investigators followed up on the lead, but the case ultimately stalled, Smyth said.
Hearsay from one individual may not be enough to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt, Jones Dickson said. But other information and other witnesses have come out as the investigation has unfolded, she added
In 2021, Fonseca and Fox were once again accused of killing Jackson – this time by an anonymous tipster whom Smyth subsequently interviewed.
The case gained traction this year with an investigative plan and several other witnesses who corroborated previous reports identifying Fonseca and Fox as responsible for Jackson’s murder, Smyth said.
On Oct. 27, the sheriff’s office announced that they reopened the case following the discovery of new evidence. During the same month, a probable cause arrest warrant for murder was issued for both Fonseca and Fox.
Fonseca was subsequently arrested Nov. 6 at her home in Queens, N.Y. by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, according to an announcement by the Sheriff’s Office. She is currently in custody at Rikers Island in New York.
On the same day, Fox was taken into custody by Sioux City Police Department in Iowa after leaving his residence on foot, the announcement states. Fox is currently being held at Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office.
The case has been solved through a collaboration with the DA’s office as well as many federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies, according to the sheriff’s office.
