I promise you, you better back up cause you're not going to like what's coming out. I promise you. Get the gun ... get the f**!! gun [Zachary] - Get off my property. Oh you got a zapper? [Zachary] - Get off my property bro! According to a study conducted by Rutgers University over ten years, which involved 1000 adults, fostering positive and frequent connections with our neighbors can profoundly impact our sense of self-worth and purpose. It may appear insignificant to exchange a friendly wave or lend a helping hand to a neighbor, but these small gestures have the power to nurture a strong bond and reinforce the idea that our individual contributions hold value within a community. Unfortunately, however, not all neighborly interactions are positive. Occasionally, you might find yourself dealing with an annoying neighbor. Even rarer, yet undeniably distressing, is a situation where a neighbor embarks on a mission to ridicule, provoke and harass you. In this video, we discuss such a case. Let's dive in. Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, with a population of 60,780, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The city was named after the area's fertile soil, ideal for growing grapes and other fruits. One unique aspect of Vineland is its drive-in theater, the Delsea drive-in, one of the few left in the United States. Notable individuals who were born in, or residents of, Vineland include the American educator Layle Lane, professional baseball superstar Mike Trout, and more recently gaining notoriety, The TikTok personality Zachary Latham. Zachary Latham is a 21-year-old man who gained fame as a social media micro-influencer on Tik Tok, and public scrutiny for his off-screen conduct. At the age of 16, Zachary moved into his grandparents house, nestled on Thornhill Road in Vineland, New Jersey. In social media posts, it is suggested his mother is deceased. Zachary was emancipated at 17 years old and enlisted to serve as a private in the New Jersey National Guard. He lived in the home on Thornhill Road with his grandparents and wife, Sarah Latham. Zachary, a speed enthusiast with a penchant for social media, was fond of capturing his daily experiences on video and sharing them online. But there was a less commendable side to him. He had a knack for provoking incidents to get a reaction. He frequently disrupted the peace of his neighborhood by revving his car engine and speeding down local streets. He has many videos on his TikTok account where he shows off his cars and boasts about confrontations with locals. Zachary was well known to local law enforcement as well. His past included numerous police encounters, and by April 2020, he was facing a pending juvenile court case charged with simple assault, terroristic threats and criminal mischief. On TikTok, Zachary portrayed himself as a carefree and rebellious outlaw. This image appeared to boost his popularity and garnered him a following of over 40,000 online. Zachary wholeheartedly embraced his bad-boy persona. He frequently posted videos with captions that purported to express who he was or how he was perceived, such as always, loud, cuts everybody off, revs at the red light, What's the speed limit?, And "gets hated on for having a nice car." Zachary's practice of roaring down suburban streets, streets filled with playing children and cyclists, at speeds greater than 100 miles per hour was more than just an annoyance. It was a genuine safety concern. 51-year-old Vineland resident William Durham Sr., who lived four houses away from Zachary, believed it was his responsibility to address the issue. After all, as a seasoned corrections officer, he knew a thing or two about confrontation. William Durham Sr., referred to as "Timmy" by those close to him, worked for the past 19 years as a senior corrections officer at the South Wood State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Timmy was a proud graduate of Vineland High School. Prior to his employment as a corrections officer, he and his wife Catherine, owned and operated a successful carpet cleaning business. Timmy resided on Thornhill Road in a home he shared with his wife and two sons. He was described as a family man whose hobbies included home maintenance, restoring old Mustangs and dirt bike riding. The Durham's lived a mere four houses away from Zachary and often witnessed his driving habits. Having spent years dealing with hardened criminals, he had no qualms about confronting an 18 year old. Timmy approached Zachary not long after the teenager moved into his grandparent's house. He witnessed Zachary drive recklessly on Thornhill Road and respectfully asked that he cease. Later that day, Zachary, who was 16 then, personally visited Timmy's home to apologize, but the peace did not last long. Zachary continued to drive erratically and ultimately, he and the Durham family became locked in an ongoing conflict for the next two years. As Zachary continued to speed down the streets, neighbors grew increasingly frustrated. On one occasion in April 2020, after allegedly racing down Thornhill Road, Catherine had the chance to confront him. She asked Zachary to slow down while he recorded the exchange. What are you going to do, Karen? That's not my name. So get my name straight ahead. You okay, Karen? Get my tag. Get my tag, Karen. My name is not Karen. So get my name straight. Get my tag. It's okay. A-4-5, MFA. All because my car is loud. Three cop cars. Shortly after the incident, Zachary posted the video to his TikTok account, and lo and behold, the video went viral. It was viewed 3 million times by TikTok users. Many commenters mocked Catherine, while others suggested he should cut her tires, egg her house, and "go after her." Seeking to capitalize on the video's viral success, he shared more videos centered around Catherine, even openly mentioning her by full name. To entice his followers, he promised to disclose the Durham's home address should another one of his posts reach a million views. According to Durham family attorneys, a few days after the viral incident, Mr. & Mrs. Durham were tending to their yard when Zachary drove by and shouted, "Hey, Karen, we went viral!" By April 26th, according to a TikTok video posted by Zachary, the Durham's home address had been made public. It was unclear by whom. Zachary's videos gained so much attention that others would come to Thornhill Road and speed off loudly outside the Durham's home. In one TikTok post, Zachary wrote, "When people rev at Karen because they saw my TikTok and they call the cops on me." 21-year-old William Durham Jr., upset about his family's address having been posted online, confronted Zachary days later. [William] - Get the fuck outta the car bro! [Zachary] - I got a knife dude, you better play ... [Zachary] - I'm calling the cops on you. That's good. Yeah. Zachary recorded the incident and turned it into additional content for his social media account. According to a letter from the Durham family attorneys, several law enforcement officers and a superior court judge also live in the neighborhood and were aware of Zachary's behavior. Some had even contacted Vineland Police about the ongoing matter. The letter further states that the Durham's had previously called the Vineland Police Department multiple times to complain about Zachary. Still, police allegedly informed them they couldn't file a complaint right away because the courts were closed due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The Durham family attorneys explained that when the Durham's escalated the matter to acting police chief Pedro Casiano, of Vineland on April 29th, they heard a similar response. While Casiano confirmed other complaints about Zachary, the attorneys noted that he was limited in his ability to act because of court closures. In addition, as mentioned in the letter, Casiano agreed to consider discussing possible cyber harassment charges with the prosecutor's office, but the family received no subsequent updates. By May 4th, 2020, The Durham family had reached the end of their rope, fed up with Zachary's antics and disheartened by what they saw as inadequate support from local law enforcement. Yet they had no inkling of the chaos that was about to unfold. On May 4th, the Durham's 17 year old son told his parents that Zachary had swerved his car in an attempt to hit him while he was cycling. Dismayed by a lackluster response by the police in the past, they felt they had little choice but to take matters into their own hands. The Durham family waited for Zachary to drive down Thornhill Road on his way home. When they spotted his truck, Timmy pulled his vehicle out of his driveway to block Zachary's path. The two trucks were nose to nose, creating a tense standoff. Timmy was seated in the driver's seat of his truck while Zachary and Sarah remained inside their vehicle. Zachary's two male friends sat in the bed of his truck. At this point, Kathryn confronted Zachary about the alleged swerving incident. Why are you guys recording when you came out around first? Just like you swerved ... earlier today, right? When ... when? Yeah. You don't remember? You did, when you were driving and swerved and pushed [son] to the curb. [Zachary] - I didn't put him against the curb You didn't? [Zachary] - You have that on video? You have that on video, cause I didn't do that. Yes we do have it on video. I'd like to see it. The cops are already called. Aw, that sucks. I know I didn't do that. What? Him, or him? I honked at him cause he was in the way. I didn't hit him. Where, on the side of the road? I didn't hit you though, man. [Son] - I didn't say you did! She said you did. [Catherine] - No I did not say that! You know what? It's all on video you little punk ass! C'mon you're 18! You're 18, come on! Get out of his face. No! [Zachary] - Get out of my face. [Catherine] - No. Oh, did you hit me? Did you hit me? Ow!! You have this on video, right? Yeah. According to prosecutors, video footage captures a severe escalation of their dispute with Zachary allegedly throwing an elbow at Katherine, pushing her back and knocking the phone from her hand. Investigators claim she sustained a black eye as a result following the incident. And Zachary raced away with his two friends still in the bed of his truck. But the confrontation did not end there. Not long after Zachary, Sarah and his friends got home, Timmy, Catherine, and their two sons turned up on the property. Zachary's wife, Sarah, recorded what happened next. I promise you, you better back up cause you're not gonna like what's coming out! I promise you. No, no. [Timmy] - Get the gun. Get the [profanity] gun. Babe! [Zachary] - Get off my property, man! Get off my property. Oh you got a zapper? [Zachary] - Get off my property man! [screaming and shouting] [screaming and shouting] [screaming and shouting] Shortly after the clash, Zachary placed a call to 911. What is your emergency? There's blood all over the place. I just got assaulted and jumped. Are you the one that got stabbed? No, no, that was the other victim. But I got beat up really bad, and I have blood all over me. All right, so you're at 2986 Thornhill as well? Yes. All right. And do you want an ambulance? Um, um ... I don't know. Alright, the person ... the person or people that did this to you, are they still there? They came with guns, came on my property with guns. And then when I fought them off, they drove away. All right. How are you injured, sir? My windpipe [indistinct] And I got stomped and choked by, like, ten people. All right. And where are you bleeding from? I don't know, there's blood all over me. I don't even know if I'm cut, there's blood all over our garage. Okay. There were three men, and they said they had guns and said they're gonna kill us and they came into my garage and attacked all of us. There were four people. Hold on one second for the police, okay? Okay. In the aftermath of the incident, Timmy was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.. Zachary was treated for a concussion and brought to the Vineland Police Department for questioning, where he learned of Timmy's passing. [Officer] - You're getting charged with aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, aggravated assault with attempt to cause serious bodily injury, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Do you realize what that means? [Zachary] - Yeah. [Officer] - And I know this is a kick in the face, but your actions, everybody's actions caused this incident, your actions caused a man's death. [Zachary] - He's ... he's dead? [Officer] - yeah. [Zachary] - No! [Officer] - That's where the aggravated manslaughter comes in. [indistinct] [Officer] - Breathe. You're a grown man, okay. It didn't shape up the way that ... [Officer] - I have no idea what you're feeling right now, and I hope I never do. Following the interview, Zachary was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, two second-degree counts of aggravated assault and various weapons offenses. Despite the strong objections of the prosecutors and the grieving Durham family, Zachary was granted pretrial release that same month. He also received permission to move to Florida pending trial. He eventually found work as a car salesman at an Infiniti Car dealership in Fort Myers. Meanwhile, the Durham family members did not escape charges for their roles in the deadly altercation. The Cumberland County prosecutor charged Catherine with criminal trespass and simple assault. The two sons were charged with criminal trespass and aggravated assault. None of the Durham family members were held in custody. The trial of New Jersey versus Zachary Latham would begin in March of 2023. A National Guardsman accused of killing his neighbor in New Jersey to become famous on Tik talk is now spending time in the Lee County jail. Thank you for counting on NBC2, I'm Peter Busch. And I'm Kelly Byrnes. Florida Highway Patrol arrested Zachary Latham this weekend. The teen is already awaiting trial for tasing and stabbing this correctional officer back in May Following his pretrial release in New Jersey, Zachary relocated to Florida. However, his legal troubles followed him as he was arrested once more, this time in Fort Myers. He allegedly threatened another motorist with a B.B. gun, fashioned to look like an AK-47, while out on release. His latest charges include felony aggravated assault for allegedly brandishing a weapo,n and a second count of aggravated assault for attempting to intentionally ram the other driver's vehicle. Zachary was released from Lee County Jail after posting a $40,000 bond. But this incident led to his conditional New Jersey release being revoked. Zachary was returned to New Jersey four months later and held in custody pending trial, As reported by NJ.com, before the Zachary Latham trial commenced, Judge Cristen D'Arrigo ruled that he would consider all evidence of social media interactions between Zachary and the Durhams before May 4th, and evidence of Zachary's alleged past misbehavior, inadmissible. Typically, this is because, from a legal perspective, such evidence could potentially prejudice the jury, thereby hampering the fair trial rights of a defendant with a criminal history. The fundamental principle here is that a defendant should be judged based on the merits of the current case, not vilified due to their past misconduct or any assumptions about their propensity to commit crimes. On March 30th, 2023, the jury heard opening statements in the trial of New Jersey versus Zachary Latham. We expect the defense will try to push the blame on the Durhams, that they came looking for a fight. But we're going to ask you to look closely at the videos. We're going to ask you to watch the defendant's face. We're going to ask you to watch her actions. We agree the Durhams went down to the defendant's home. Yes, they did. They intended to confront the defendant. Yes. But the defendant escalated that confrontation inappropriately with the use of deadly force. He sought to use a deadly weapon. He had that knife ready and waiting for the Durhams to arrive. And you're going to see through the evidence that's anticipated, that the defendant did not, honestly or reasonably believe that deadly force was necessary, that the defendant could have retreated inside his home, including his garage, and he would have been in complete safety. And therefore, it fails to justify the use of deadly force against Timmy. Now, at the end of this trial, the judge is going to explain the charges and the elements that comprise each and every one of those charges. He is going to explain to you what the law is. And until that time we're going to ask you that you look at the defendant's conduct. Look and find If that conduct was reckless, and if that reckless conduct caused Tim Durham's death. We're going to ask you to look at the defendant's choices. When and where did he meet them? When did he decide to get the knife? Now, we call all sit here and think back to when we ourselves have acted recklessly. Maybe we've done something we shouldn't have, or at a place we weren't meant to be But, being reckless in a legal sense is more than that. A person who causes another's death does so recklessly when he is aware of and consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that death will result from his conduct. And I ask you to think, what would a reasonable person do? Would a reasonable person have entered their home, grabbed a knife, left their home to come and meet the Durhams in a situation that is already hostile? Or, would a reasonable person have gone into their home, shut the door, and call police? Now, this is a sensitive type of situation, and I understand the difficulties that you're going to face as this trial continues. You're going to see a young man sitting in front of you. But I'm going to ask you to remember, he's not [indistinct]. I'm going to ask you to remember that Tim Durham isn't here. Tiffany Durham no longer has a husband, and Billy and Gage have to grow up without a father. And at the end of this trial, the police and State are going to ask you to find justice for Tim. We're going to ask you to find the defendant's actions were not justified in causing Tim's death. And we're going to ask you to find the defendant guilty. Thank you. They brought the fight to him. They were on a mission to get him. They were going to stop at nothing to get at him. Understand this, Zachary Latham sits here today only because he refused to submit to a savage beating at the hands of three big capable men who collectively outweighed him by well over 300 pounds. I'm talking about William Durham Sr., his then 21-year-old son, William Durham Jr., and his then 17-year-old son, Gage Durham. I didn't even include their mom, Catherine Durham, in the arithmetic, but she was very much a part of the attack as well. These men and woman were highly motivated. They acted in an uncontrolled manner. They trespaseds upon Zach's property. They ignored repeated warnings to withdraw. You're going to hear video evidence. All of that was captured on video. You hear repeated warnings. You can hear Zach and his wife, Sarah repeatedly admonish these people to back up, "back up, back up, get off the property. Get off the property." All these admonishments are ignored by the Durham's and they continue on their attack. Even moments before Zach was attacked, he was standing at the entrance to his to his garage, which the judge is going to instruct you later, is part of the house, or "the dwelling." Those are, those are legal words. So you're going to hear that this is his castle. We'll talk a little bit more about that concept later. The judge will talk to you about it as well. But he's in his home. He has no duty to retreat in his home. There's no duty to retreat in the face of an attack in your own home. Doesn't have to give any explanation why he didn't retreat or or anything of the sort. So please understand that right from the beginning. By the time I got to examine him he only had 50 milliliters, about half a cup of blood left. [Attorney] - Wouldn't you sound a little surprised by that? Why were you surprised by that? By there only being 50 milliliters? [Dr. Williams] - Because you know that a person is not going to die from just a half a cup of blood loss. And, you know, from experience, you know, that there was bloody clothing. I know that, I had information before I did the case on what happened. I was told there was blood and I know that at some point in time he had a lot more blood in his left pleural cavity. [Attorney] - How are you able to determine that there was more blood in the left pleural cavity than what was present? [Dr. Williams] - Like I just said, between the bloody clothing the description of the scene from, I think, law enforcement who was there. And I just knew there was more blood than just 50 milliliters at the time of the autopsy. [Attorney] - Would the chest tube also have assisted in the drainage of any blood that would have been in the chest cavity? [Dr. Williams] - That's correct. [Attorney] - Have you seen this document before today? [Catherine] - No. [Attorney] - Would it surprise you to learn that your criminal charges were dismissed? [Catherine] - Very surprised. [Attorney] - So, sitting here today, you didn't know, prior to coming to testify, the status of your criminal charges? I'm very surprised. Throughout the trial, the prosecution attempted to prove that Zachary provoked the fatal fight and recorded it for social media fame. They argued that Zachary incited the confrontation when he struck Catherine, then lured her husband to his home, where Zachary retrieved his weapons. In addition, prosecutors contended, New Jersey law requires that the defendant has a duty to retreat first when outside the home, and Zachary had sufficient time to retreat into his house and call the police once the Durhams arrived. Further, they declared the fact that he did not retreat made his subsequent use of force unreasonable. The defense maintained Zachary acted in self-defense and feared for himself, his wife and friends when the Durhams trespassed onto his property. Attorney Christine Long stated, "You don't have to wait for someone to storm your house to defend yourself. You're allowed to prevent someone from attempting to come into your dwelling." According to New Jersey, self-defense law, a person has a duty to retreat first when outside their own home. However, a person has the right to employ force to defend their home. To exercise this right, the person must not be the initial aggressor and must be unable to escape by way of complete safety. Under these conditions, use of deadly force rules apply. A person must genuinely believe that the force is necessary to thwart a crime being committed by the aggressor on their property. Before resorting to force, the defendant is typically required to ask the aggressor to cease their actions. However, as with numerous legal matters, it's important to remember that rare exceptions exist to the general rule. After a two week trial, it would be up to the jury to determine Zachary Latham's fate. The central question before the jury would be, "was the defendant justified in using deadly force?" After hearing closing arguments and jury instructions, the jury began their deliberations. How do you find, on the count of the indictment, charging that the defendant on or about the fourth day of May 2020 in the city of Vineland, County of Cumberland, and within the jurisdiction of this court, did recklessly cause the death of William T. Durham, Sr., contrary to the provisions of NJ Stat. A 2C:11-4b(1), and against the peace of this state, the government and dignity of the same? [Lead Juror] - NOT GUILTY. How do you find on the count of the indictment charging the defendant that on or about the 4th day of May, 2020, in the city of Vineland, county of Cumberland, and within the jurisdiction of this court did purposely, knowingly or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, recklessly attempt to cause serious bodily injury to William T. Durham Jr., contrary to the provisions of NJ Stat. A 2C:12-1b(1) and against the peace of this State, the government and dignity of the same? [Lead Juror] - NOT GUILTY. [Judge D'Arrigo] - Thank you. Sir, you may be seated. Alright. As I indicated now, juror number one, the longer foreperson, now juror number one, the verdict you just reported, was that your individual Verdict? [Juror 1] - Yes. [Judge] - Juror no. 2 same question. [Juror 2] - Yes. Three. Yes. At the conclusion of the trial, Judge D'arrigo delivered some poignant remarks. "Mr. Latham, you were successful in your defense, but you still have to live with the events of those days and the consequences of it. 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." Zachary Latham still faces charges in Florida related to a January 2021 arrest. A trial date has not yet been determined.