Handwriting Samples: Who Penned Sullivan's Will?

Three handwritten sentences that decided the fate of a small fortune left behind by a deceased alleged child predator have become the center of controversy over the past several months, as investigators closed in on what they believe to be a calculated will forgery executed at the hands of bail bondsman Ray Zapata with alleged co-conspirator and attorney John Young.

The will, which Zapata allegedly witnessed on June 2 last year, was supposedly written by 77-year-old accused pedophile John Edward Sullivan, a man some have reported to have been a devout Catholic, who preferred writing on long, “grammar school” cursive strokes.

When the will was admitted to the county for probate, Zapata and Sullivan’s criminal defense attorney John Young gave testimony vouching for its authenticity. But one local attorney wasn’t convinced, and alerted the Texas Rangers to what he believed was a forgery penned by Zapata himself. An investigation by the Texas Rangers followed.

Documents from Zapata’s bail bonding company provide a glimpse at his penmanship, which has been analyzed against the will and determined to have likely been written by the same author by the San Angelo Police Department’s handwriting expert, Rodney Black who was summoned by the Rangers to assist.

A sample of Sullivan’s handwriting is also on file with the county court, stemming from a civil suit in 2005 taken against one Victor Samaniego, who was some $50,160 behind on his rent at 511 S. Jefferson, a house he had been paying on as a part of a purchase contract with Sullivan, the owner of the residence.

Interestingly, it was also this Samaniego who claimed he had an interest in Sullivan’s estate almost immediately after the will was probated and Young received full control as sole beneficiary. Since Samaniego plead his case, another claimant surfaced, an alleged half sister and a victim of Sullivan's also made claims to the estate. Neither of those cases have been settled. Meanwhile, Sullivan's small fortune stashed into accounts is slowly draining and a temporary administrator has been appointed to oversee the funds. Young has also been ordered to provide a full accounting of what he did with the estate during the first seven months when he had sole possession of the money.

Both Young and Zapata  have been indicted on multiple felony charges in relation to the will, however both cases are still pending in the courts.

The question remains, however: Who wrote Sullivan’s will?