New Jersey Teen Instigated Fight With Neighbor, Fatally Stabbed Him For TikTok Fame: Lawyers

A New Jersey teen, who stabbed his neighbor to death in May 2019 citing self-defense after the latter confronted him for two years over his alleged reckless driving, is being accused of instigating the fatal fight and recording it for social media fame.

Zachary Latham, 18, of Vineland, was charged with manslaughter for the May 4, 2019, incident but the victim’s family demanded murder charges be brought against him claiming Latham lured the family into the fatal confrontation to record the now-deleted videos posted to TikTok that racked up 3 million views.

Latham’s wife, Sarah, was said to have been filming the altercation that led to the death of 51-year-old William "Timmy" Durham Sr., a corrections officer. On the day of the incident, Latham allegedly swerved into a bike belonging to Durham’s teen son, prompting the family to confront him. Lawyers for Durham’s family claimed Latham hit him first to get the family to follow him into his house. Latham then went inside the house and retrieved two knives and a taser and allegedly fatally attacked Durham.

"Sarah was recording because it was her and Latham’s intent to post these videos to TikTok and become TikTok famous," Durham family attorneys Diane M. Ruberton and Robert R. Simons wrote in a letter to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae in June, according to NJ.com. "If Latham was in fear for his or Sarah's safety, they both would have retreated inside, called police and stayed there. They did not because their intent was to lure the Durhams there, attack them and record it for TikTok."

Durham’s wife and his two children were charged with criminal trespass and aggravated or simple assault following the incident, while Latham was charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, two second-degree counts of aggravated assault and various weapons offenses. He was released pending a trial.

Lawyers for Durham’s family want the charges against them dropped noting that Latham had a history of trouble. In the letter, the lawyers referred to a Superior Court judge living in the same neighborhood who said he had videos of Latham’s dangerous driving. Latham has many videos on his TikTok account where he shows off his cars and boasts about confrontations with neighbors.

In April, he recorded a duel with Durham’s wife, Catherine, who was seen confronting him over his driving. He called her "Karen" in the video and his followers encouraged him to go after her as the clip garnered millions of views.

"This tragedy was completely avoidable had the Vineland Police Department and the (Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office) taken action against Latham to stop him from terrorizing the Durham family and other neighbors in the months prior to Tim's murder," the letter from the lawyers read. "Compounding this tragedy is the manner in which the Durham family has been treated as criminals themselves, when they are victims."