In testimony on Thursday, the son of a man who was fatally stabbed following a confrontation between neighbors in 2020 claimed that the alleged murderer earlier in the day knocked his car off the road while riding a bicycle.
William T. Durham, 51, Sr. and Zachary T. Latham, 20, are alleged to have argued on May 4, 2020, in Latham’s Vineland residence. . Durham Sr.) argued with him and fatally stabbed him.
Durham works as a prison guard at South Woods State Prison in Bridgetown. He is married and has two sons.
The murder came after a feud between the two families that lasted for weeks and started with an escalated altercation. Throughout this time, there were allegations that Latham had been harassing the Durham family and had insulted them in several social media posts.
On May 4, the Durham family asserted that Latham had followed 17-year-old Gage Durham as he retrieved his bicycle from the driveway and was driving it in the cyclist’s direction. Durham stated that he ran onto the curb to avoid Latham’s car when the defendant honked his horn and sped away.
A violent altercation ensued when the Durham family approached Latham about the event hours later.
Latham’s trial got off on Thursday morning. He is accused of second-degree reckless manslaughter, aggravated assault, and using firearms.
A bloody altercation that started in Latham’s driveway and went into the garage is seen on camera by Latham’s wife Sarah, who also recorded the incident on her phone.
William T. Durham Srpassing .’s was the subject of Gage Durham’s testimony on Thursday. Elder Durham’s murder in 2020 is allegedly the responsibility of Zachary T. Latham. Dave Hernandez | New Jersey Advance
The Durham family came to Latham’s house to quarrel, the assistant US attorney Caitlin Flynn admitted to the jury, but she maintained that Latham could have withdrew to his house and phoned the police. She claimed that instead, he decided to arm himself with a knife and a stun gun and use lethal force against his victims.
“Defendant’s inappropriate use of lethal force escalated this altercation. He made an attempt to employ a lethal weapon,” Flynn remarked. Any reasonable person would have entered their home, picked up a knife, and left to meet the Durhams when the situation was already tense. Alternatively, a sane person would have entered their home, closed the door, and called the police. ”
She urged the jurors to keep in mind the actions of the husband and father who had since departed Latham.
Public defender Nathan Perry claimed that the Durhams, who were physically larger than the defendants and who trespassed on Latham’s property on the day of the murder, were the assailants since they put his client and family in danger by entering Latham’s property.
Perry remarked to the jurors, “You brought him a fight.” They have a mission to capture him. Whatever it takes, they’re going to find him. Zachary Latham is only present in this place right now because to his refusal to accept three strong, competent men who collectively weigh more than 300 pounds.