A lady was seen on video punching another woman over a necklace along Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive, authorities said. She now faces a murder charge.
According to the arrest report, Zaria Liana Williams, 20, was seated at the junction of Fifth Street and Ocean Drive when the victim reached for a third lady — a nearby witness — and ripped off her necklace. The victim, whose actions were described as “erratic,” then fled.
According to investigators, the tumultuous incident began when Williams became enraged and raced after the victim. The witness told detectives that Williams chased the victim because she was “very protective.”
She later discovered the necklace in the fleeing woman’s clothing.
Several spectators then recorded Williams taking a combat posture before punching the woman for the first time, according to the investigation. The victim slumped to the ground. When she rose again, Williams delivered another punch to her face.
According to footage from a city camera, the two became “briefly entangled” before Williams dragged the woman to the center of the crossing. According to the report, Williams straddled the woman’s contorted body, pinning her down before a good Samaritan intervened and shoved Williams away.
Another witness, who watched the incident from her family’s rental car, told detectives that she believed Williams was attempting to strangle the woman.
When officers arrived at the scene, the victim had a feeble pulse, according to the report. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was intubated. She experienced a neck injury and a significant cerebral bleed.
William was detained Thursday, one day after the brutal altercation. She refused to communicate with the detectives.
On Saturday, authorities increased her battery charge after medics declared the victim brain dead. The woman’s family is considering taking her off life support, according to the story. When someone is declared brain dead, they are legally regarded to have died.
Williams, who is now facing a second-degree murder accusation, is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Her bond had not been set as of Monday evening.
Source: MiamiHerald