By Kevin Shea
NJ.com
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Vineland teen charged with the stabbing death of his neighbor — a New Jersey state corrections officer — was arrested early Sunday in Florida on aggravated assault charges, records show.
Zachary T. Latham, 18, is charged with aggravated assault with the intent to commit a felony, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, in Lee County, Florida, on the southern Gulf Coast.
He was arrested and charged by the Florida Highway Patrol. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In May 2020, Latham was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the stabbing death of William T. Durham Sr., his neighbor in Vineland. The 51-year-old Durham worked at South Woods State Prison.
The Durham family and Latham had a simmering dispute for weeks, and it culminated in a violent brawl in front of Latham’s house. Authorities say members of the Durham family arrived at Latham’s home but were unarmed.
Lathem emerged from the home and fought them with a stun gun and two knives. The senior Durham was mortally wounded in the fight. Three members of the Dunham family were also charged with assault.
The Durham family said through lawyers that Latham was the main aggressor during weeks of feuding, and further harassed them by posting about the incident on the social media app Tik Tok — even alleging Latham instigated the fatal confrontation for Tik Tok fame.
The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office was unaware Sunday of Latham’s Florida arrest.
It’s unclear where exactly Latham was arrested, but his booking information in Lee County, Florida lists his address as Naples, Florida.
___
(c)2021 NJ Advance Media Group, Edison, N.J.