Zacharaiah Sanders Sentenced to 50 Years for DeLand Murder

28-year-old DeLand resident Zachariah Sanders has been sentenced to 50 years in prison in connection to a 2020 Volusia County killing. He was the third and final of three defendants charged to be sentenced. The incident occurred on March 19th, 2020. Deputies with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office found 21-year-old Jarius Cook dead in a burning car in Spring Hill, near DeLand. It was determined that he’d been fatally shot in the neck and head, and the car was then set ablaze. A witness told law enforcement that they’d seen Sanders carry out the killing, alongside 23-year-old Fredryonna Grimes and 22-year-old Cameron Lane. They were also said to have gone through the trunk of the car. Grimes was sentenced to 40 years and Lane to 48 years for their various related charges, respectively. The conviction of Sanders came on charges of second degree murder and robbery of a firearm.  The 50 years for each charge will be served concurrently, beginning when he finishes serving 12 years for violation of probation. He was initially charged with first degree murder which carried mandatory life in prison, but later pleaded no contest to second degree murder instead. Sanders was 22 years old at the time Cook was killed. As such, he’s been called a ‘Young Guns defendant’ by State Attorney R.J. Larizza, whose office prosecuted the three suspects in the murder. Larizza began Operation Young Guns in 2022 to crack down on violent crime by juveniles and young adults. “Another Young Guns defendant off the streets,” Larizza said in a statement. “Maybe the next twenty-something contemplating violence will take notice of this 50-year sentence. I believe that ridding our community of folks like the defendant creates an opportunity for better and safer days ahead.”