FORT MYERS, Fla. (Court TV) — A social media influencer once acquitted on charges in the stabbing death of his neighbor is now heading to prison after pleading guilty to attempted kidnapping.
Defendant Zachary Latham appears in court Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Court TV)
Zachary Latham, 24, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted kidnapping, domestic battery by strangulation, criminal mischief, violating pretrial release and harassing a witness.
Prosecutors said the victim in the case was a woman Latham had been dating who no longer wanted to see him. Detectives noted in an affidavit of probable cause reviewed by Court TV that “Latham does not like taking ‘no’ for an answer from the victim” — and that he forced her to give him a ride and spend time with him on Aug. 19, 2023. During the trip, the victim said, Latham became “enraged” multiple times and attacked her, grabbing her by the throat and putting her into a headlock.
When the victim tried to escape, Latham caught up to her and choked her until she lost consciousness. “The victim described being in absolute fear that she was going to die and believed there was nothing she could do to stop him,” detectives said. “Latham informed the victim how easy it would be to kill her. He could knock her out again, throw her in the backseat, and easily get rid of her and the vehicle. Latham would be long gone before she or the car were ever found.”
Zachary Latham (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Latham was arrested in Florida, having moved there from New Jersey, where he previously stood trial on charges of second-degree manslaughter, aggravated assault and weapons charges in the death of his neighbor, William “Timmy” Durham Sr. Latham, who was earning money as an influencer on TikTok with approximately 40,000 followers, uploaded videos of his confrontations with Durham and his family members, who were upset that Latham would speed through the neighborhood and intentionally harass them.
During a confrontation on May 4, 2020, Durham’s entire family confronted Latham at his home. Video of the incident showed Latham emerge from his house with a knife and a stun gun — the defendant said he armed himself against what he believed was a “mob attack.” The altercation escalated until Durham was stabbed several times, with a wound to his left lung proving fatal. The jury cleared Latham of all charges, finding he acted in self-defense.
After Latham’s Florida arrest, prosecutors said he continued to harass the victim by using a teenager as an intermediary. The messages, directed at the victim, said, “ALL of our dirty laundry will be on TV. You will have to be present and get cross-examined. All of our secrets will be shown. Texts, sex life, personal s—, and it’ll just be a mess. I genuinely do NOT want to fight the woman I luv in court on TV.” Another message said, “I may even go Pro [se], which means I represent myself. I almost did it for NJ, remember? I get to cross-examine you. Ask you whatever. You know I know the truth, and I know what to say.” Recorded jail phone calls carried a similar theme, with Latham providing the teenager the victim’s phone number after saying, “If only, if only someone could get in contact with [victim]?”
Latham was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by 15 years of probation; he is not allowed to have any further contact with the victim.
