TikTok Star Who Fatally Stabbed New Jersey Neighbor After Calling His Wife 'Karen' Found Not Guilty Of Murder

Apr. 14 2023, Published 12:25 p.m. ET
A jury in New Jersey acquitted Zachary Latham for the fatal stabbing of his neighbor nearly three years ago, according to authorities.
In May 2020, Latham, 18 at the time, stabbed his neighbor, identified as corrections officer William Durham, 51, in their Vineland neighborhood, Front Page Detectives previously reported.
The pair were involved in a weeks-long dispute, as Durham and his family claimed Latham was driving too fast down the road both Latham and the Durhams lived on.
Latham went viral on TikTok after he posted a video arguing with the Durhams and called the victim’s wife, Catherine Durham, a “Karen.”
The victim’s family claimed Latham instigated the deadly fight in order to go viral again on TikTok, NJ.com reported.
However, Latham said the deadly interaction was a “mob attack” after several members of the Durham family came to his home to confront him. Court TV reported that the Durham family was reportedly unarmed, but Latham emerged from his residence with a 4-inch knife and a stun gun.
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The trial concluded on April 11, and the jury found Latham not guilty on all charges, including second-degree manslaughter, weapons offenses and aggravated assault.
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Superior Court Judge Cristen P. D’Arrigo said Latham was “successful” in his defense but still had to “live with the events of those days and the consequences of it,” Court TV reported.
D’Arrigo added, “There’s little solace, I know, for the members of the family, but this is our judicial system and this is how it works … There are no winners, it’s all losers. But this is a good judicial system and this is the way it’s supposed to work.”
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