Oceanside Man Convicted In 2008 Killing Of Paraplegic Veteran

OCEANSIDE, CA — A man was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2008 killing of a military veteran who was beaten to death with a wooden log in his Oceanside home, prosecutors said.

Jeffrey Roberson, 60, of Oceanside was convicted Aug. 27 in the killing of 51-year-old Cecil Zachary Jr., according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. The jury also found that Roberson used a wooden log as a deadly weapon.

A home care nurse found Zachary dead June 19, 2008, in a hospital bed in the living room of his home in the 1500 block of Molly Circle in the Fire Mountain neighborhood. A towel covered his face, and officers found signs of trauma. Zachary had been paralyzed from the waist down following a traffic collision decades earlier and rarely left his bed.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office determined Zachary died from blunt-force injuries to the head. Investigators found a log at the scene that was believed to be the murder weapon.

The case remained unsolved for more than 17 years until advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to recover DNA from the log. The resulting DNA profile linked Roberson to the killing, prosecutors said.

Oceanside police arrested Roberson in Spring Valley in February 2025. During a subsequent interview, Roberson admitted killing Zachary but claimed he acted in self-defense. Jurors rejected that claim.

"This was a brutal and intentional killing of a vulnerable victim in his own home, and for more than 18 years, Cecil's loved ones had to live with the pain and unanswered questions surrounding his death," District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. "Advances in forensic DNA technology gave investigators a new opportunity to uncover critical evidence and identify the person responsible."

Roberson's trial began Aug. 18 at the Vista Courthouse. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16 at the courthouse.