Florida prosecutors have released home surveillance footage that seems to show a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran repeatedly yanking a pink dog collar around his 6-year-old stepson’s neck until it pulls the victim clear off his feet, as well as beating, kicking, and whipping the child with a switch.
One count of aggravated child abuse resulting in great bodily harm is pending against the defendant, Zachary Perez.
The child is completely redacted from the videos, which Law&Crime was able to obtain, but they seemed to depict Perez in May 2025 engaging in a string of disturbingly abusive behaviors toward the child.
In one video, Perez was seen walking the 6-year-old around the backyard while holding a pink dog leash that the authorities claimed was fastened to the child’s neck. According to authorities, the boy was seen carrying a backpack full of rocks as he walked around the yard in other photos.
Another seemed to show the child jumping on his bed for a few seconds before a man in shorts and a black shirt opened the bedroom door and simply kicked the boy between the head and the stomach, causing him to fall to the bed.
The man, identified by authorities as Perez, then yells to the boy, “Get your f—ing shoes on bitch.”
According to a video clip from the living room, Perez appears to be coming in from the outside and holding the door open for the boy, who then runs by while Perez kicks him. Another seemed to depict Perez using a long, thin wooden stick to chase the boy around the yard.
According to court documents, the most unsettling video has been heavily redacted, but it seems to depict the alleged victim standing in the yard with the dog collar around his neck before the blurry image is abruptly jerked backwards by a few feet. Before striking the grass, the boy seemed to be completely raised off the ground.
Perez was taken into custody in May, just after his mother informed the police about the alleged abuse, as Law&Crime previously reported. Last month, he was freed from house arrest.
A Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office deputy testified during a June court hearing about the information investigators discovered regarding the alleged abuse while reviewing the home’s exterior and interior surveillance footage.
According to Miami ABC affiliate WPLG, the deputy claimed that the defendant had repeatedly punched him in the face, beat him, and placed a dog leash around his neck.
“He had multiple marks from the tree branch, and his eyes were swollen from the impact. He sustained a few bruises and scratches. The collar had caused a rash on his neck.
Additionally, the deputy recalled text messages that Perez allegedly sent to the victim’s mother following her report to authorities of his alleged abusive behavior.
According to the deputy’s testimony, “He said ‘Get home,'” “He intended to hold her accountable. ‘You’ll remember Mother’s Day,’ he said.
According to Miami NBC affiliate WTVJ, Assistant State Attorney Wily Wisset told the court that since Perez’s arrest, her office has received numerous calls from women who had once been in relationships with the defendant and said they were afraid of him because they had seen or experienced similar abuse at his hands.
“He goes crazy. He says he’ll kill them. He claims that he will murder his children, his ex-wife, and everyone else. And he uses a gun to threaten them,” the prosecution said, calling Perez “a ticking time bomb.”
In response to the charges against him, Perez entered a not guilty plea. According to court documents, his next court appearance is set for August 28.
