REMEMBERING ZACHARY

Zachary Dutro-Boggess was just four years old when his life was taken on August 16, 2012, in Oregon.

Zachary was a little boy who should have been enjoying his earliest years of childhood, playing with his siblings, learning new things, and growing up surrounded by love and protection.

Instead, he endured repeated physical abuse at the hands of his mother, Jessica Dutro, and her boyfriend, Brian Canady.

His death received national attention after prosecutors revealed evidence that his mother had targeted him in part because she believed he might grow up to be gay.

Zachary was only four years old. He deserved to be loved and accepted exactly as he was.

Zachary's Story

In August 2012, Zachary was living with his mother, her boyfriend, and his siblings at a family homeless shelter in Tigard, Oregon, southwest of Portland.

Investigators later established that Zachary and his siblings had experienced repeated physical abuse.

According to testimony presented during the criminal proceedings, Jessica Dutro and Brian Canady routinely struck the children as punishment.

Zachary was subjected to particularly severe mistreatment.

During the investigation, authorities discovered Facebook messages in which Dutro expressed anger about her belief that Zachary might be gay.

She described the way he walked and talked and instructed Canady to work on changing his behavior.

Prosecutors presented those messages as evidence of a motive for the repeated abuse.

The messages did not establish anything about Zachary's sexual orientation. They revealed the beliefs and hostility of the adult responsible for protecting him.

In August 2012, Zachary suffered a devastating beating.

Canady later admitted that he had kicked Zachary in the abdomen while wearing shoes.

The violence caused severe internal injuries, including tears in his intestines.

Despite Zachary's deteriorating condition, the adults responsible for him delayed obtaining medical assistance.

On August 14, 2012, emergency responders were finally called after Zachary became unresponsive.

He was transported to a Portland hospital, where doctors discovered life threatening abdominal injuries.

The damage was catastrophic.

Doctors determined that Zachary's injuries resulted from blunt force trauma and that the delay in medical treatment contributed to his death.

Despite efforts to save him, Zachary was removed from life support on August 16, 2012.

He was four years old.

His older sister became an important witness in the investigation.

She described watching her mother and Canady repeatedly hit and kick Zachary.

Her testimony helped establish the violence he had experienced before his death.

Investigators also discovered evidence that Zachary's siblings had been abused.

The surviving children were eventually placed in the care of relatives.

Warning Signs and System Failures

The criminal investigation revealed that Zachary's death followed a pattern of physical abuse within the household.

His older sister described repeated beatings and punishment directed at the children.

Investigators also documented injuries involving his siblings, including fractured ribs suffered by one of the younger children.

The evidence demonstrated that the violence was not limited to the final assault that caused Zachary's death.

The adults responsible for the children had created an environment in which physical abuse was used as punishment.

Zachary was also subjected to mistreatment connected to his mother's beliefs about how a boy should behave.

The Facebook messages presented during the trial demonstrated that Dutro had expressed hostility toward her son because she believed he might be gay.

Prosecutors argued that this hostility contributed to the particularly severe abuse directed at him.

The available reporting does not establish that child protective services had received and ignored specific reports about Zachary before his death.

However, the evidence presented at trial showed that Zachary and his siblings had experienced repeated violence within their home.

Zachary needed protection from the very adults who were harming him.

JUSTICE FOR ZACHARY

Following Zachary's death, Jessica Dutro and Brian Canady were prosecuted in Washington County, Oregon.

Canady admitted that he had kicked Zachary in the abdomen and participated in the abuse that led to his death.

In March 2014, he pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter and second degree assault.

On April 18, 2014, Canady was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison.

Brian Canady

Relationship to Zachary: Mother's boyfriend

Conviction(s): First degree manslaughter; Second degree assault

Sentence: 12 years and 6 months in prison

Jessica Dutro proceeded to trial.

Prosecutors presented medical evidence, testimony from Zachary's older sister, and Facebook messages demonstrating Dutro's hostility toward her son.

The prosecution argued that Zachary had been subjected to repeated abuse and that his mother failed to obtain timely medical assistance after he suffered fatal injuries.

In April 2014, a jury found Dutro guilty of murder and additional offenses involving abuse and assault.

She was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Jessica Dutro

Relationship to Zachary: Mother

Conviction(s): Murder; Murder by abuse; Second degree assault

Sentence: Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years

The convictions established criminal responsibility for the violence that ended Zachary's life.

His surviving siblings were placed with relatives, who later spoke publicly about the abuse the children had endured.

FOREVER REMEMBERED

Zachary Dutro-Boggess was only four years old.

He should have been celebrating birthdays, playing with his siblings, making friends, and discovering the world around him.

Instead, his childhood was marked by violence and fear.

He was subjected to repeated abuse by adults who should have protected him.

His mother believed that something about the way he walked or talked needed to be changed.

But there was nothing wrong with Zachary.

He was a little boy who deserved unconditional love, patience, kindness, and acceptance.

He should have been allowed to be himself.

He should have been able to laugh, play, and grow up without fear of punishment or violence.

Zachary's older sister witnessed the abuse that ended his life, and her testimony helped bring those responsible to justice.

His death also drew attention to the devastating consequences of prejudice and violence directed at children who do not conform to an adult's expectations.

But Zachary deserves to be remembered for more than the beliefs and actions of those who harmed him.

He was a son.

He was a brother.

He was a little boy whose life mattered.

He deserved a fifth birthday, a childhood filled with happiness, and an entire future.

His life was taken before he had the opportunity to experience those things.

Zachary Dutro-Boggess deserved to grow up.

Abuse Angels remembers Zachary Dutro-Boggess.

Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.