Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Hooters Girl Gone’ of ‘Lethally Blonde,’ the primary focus is on the horrific 2022 homicide of a young father of one named Zachary Wood in his Wichita Falls, Texas, residence. The tragedy sent shockwaves across the entire community, with grief taking over his loved ones. As the detectives dug deeper into the gruesome crime, they were led to multiple perpetrators involved in the assault and murder of Zachary.
Zachary Wood Was Found Dead in His Shared Apartment With Signs of Ransacking
Simone Pischel and Earle Wood welcomed Zachary Ryan Wood into the world as their little bundle of joy on September 8, 1998, in Wichita Falls, Texas. While growing up alongside his brother, Taylon Wood, Zachary developed a passion for several activities, including skateboarding, playing guitar, tattooing, and more. In his free time, he also loved spending time with his friends. By the time he was in his early 20s, he had already become a father to his beloved daughter, Ophelia Diaz Wood.
The resident of a property in the 2100 block of Brown Street in Wichita Falls, Zachary, lived with three roommates. The father of one had much to look forward to, including the birth of another child. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. On the fateful day of May 21, 2022, the Wichita Falls Police Department responded to a welfare check at the 23-year-old’s apartment. Upon entering the property, the police officials found Zachary dead in the ransacked house. The authorities described it as a “massive bloodletting event” as they found evidence of the horrific crime in different rooms. Immediately, a homicide investigation was launched to get to the bottom of the case.
Four Individuals Were Connected to the Killing of Zachary Wood
The police reportedly got a tip from an anonymous tipster, who claimed that one of Zachary Wood’s roommates, Payton Collier, had beaten him for stealing from her. To confirm the tip, they brought Payton in for questioning. She accused her boyfriend, Ronnie Lang Jr., and William Bell of assaulting Zachary in his home. As per Payton, Ronnie and William beat him with a baseball bat, hands, feet, and a gun. She also told the detectives that another female, Ashley Esselborn, William’s girlfriend, was also at the scene at the time of the assault.
It is alleged that Ashley didn’t take part in the assault but cheered the two men while yelling at Zachary about missing items, allegedly drugs and money. Next, Ronnie and William were interviewed, and both of them also confessed to their respective involvement in the assault and killing of Zachary, with William alleging that Ronnie was the one who used the baseball bat. After Ronnie, William, and Payton were taken into custody, the authorities turned their attention towards Ashley. During her interview, she admitted to being present at the scene. She claimed that she and William left the house but returned to grab incriminating items and evidence before discarding them in Burkburnett.
In addition, a witness told the authorities that they had overheard Ashley bragging about not going to jail despite her involvement in the assault. Thus, on August 18, 2022, all four individuals, Ashley Esselborn, Payton Collier, William Bell, and Ronnie Lang, were officially indicted for the murder of Zachary Wood. Soon, Ashley’s bond was lowered from $1 million to $100,000, while William’s bond was reduced from $1 million to $200,000. On the other hand, Ronnie and Payton’s bonds remained at $1 million each.
Ashley, Payton, William, and Ronnie Are Serving Time For Their Involvement in Zachary’s Homicide
Not long after his arrest, in September 2022, Ronnie Lang pleaded guilty to the charges against him and received a 50-year imprisonment sentence. After paying her $100,000 bond, Ashley Esselborn was released from police custody on May 30, 2023, after spending more than a year in custody. That same month, on May 26, William Bell and Payton Collier also pleaded guilty to murder, after which they were sentenced to 30 years and 25 years in prison, respectively, for their involvement in the gruesome crime. After the sentencing hearing, several members of Zachary Wood’s family gave victim impact statements. His father, Earle Wood, addressed William and Payton, stating, “Y’all got lucky with those little plea sentences y’all got. I think you deserve more for what you’ve done to my family.”
Earle added, “You messed up my family’s life. You messed up your family’s life. You made him beg for his life.” The mother of Zachary’s daughter also took the stand and said that the child would not know “about how he was and will be. She’ll spend the rest of her life without a parent.” Two months later, on July 31, Ashley Esselborn also pleaded guilty to one count of tampering and fabricating physical evidence. In exchange, her murder charge was dismissed, and she was sentenced to eight years in prison, receiving 372 days of jail credit for time served. Despite her best efforts to obtain parole, her appeal was denied by the Parole Board in November 2025.
As of today, 24-year-old Ashley and 31-year-old Payton are serving their sentences at the William P. Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. While the former’s projected release date is July 2030, Payton’s parole eligibility date is scheduled for November 2034. On the other hand, William, 32, is currently incarcerated at T.L. Roach Jr. Unit in Childress County, Texas, with his parole eligibility set for January 2038. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Ronnie is serving his sentence at the James V. Allred Unit in Wichita County, Texas, awaiting his parole eligibility in May 2047.
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