Woman was fatally beaten in South Beach over a snatched necklace, police say. One jailed
A woman was caught on tape beating another woman over a necklace near Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive, police say. She’s now facing a murder charge.
Zaria Liana Williams, 20, was sitting at the corner of Fifth Street and Ocean Drive when the victim reached toward a third woman — a witness who was nearby — and yanked off her necklace, according to an arrest report. The victim, whose behavior was described as “erratic,” then ran off.
The chaotic scene unfolded when Williams, growing irate, rushed after the victim, police say. The witness told investigators that Williams chased the victim because she was “very protective.”
She later found the necklace inside the fleeing woman’s shirt.
Moments later, several bystanders recorded Williams jumping into a fighting stance before punching the woman for the first time, according to the report. The victim fell to the ground. When she stood back up, Williams delivered another blow to her face.
The pair, footage from a city camera revealed, were “briefly entangled” until Williams dragged the woman toward the middle of the intersection. Williams, the report says, straddled the woman’s twisted body, pinning her down until a good Samaritan stepped in and pushed Williams away.
Another witness, who saw the attack from her family’s rental car, told investigators she believes that Williams was trying to strangle the woman.
When police responded to the scene, the victim had a faint pulse, the report states. She was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was intubated. She had suffered a neck injury — and a substantial brain bleed.
William was arrested Thursday, a day after the violent scuffle. She refused to speak with detectives.
On Saturday, police upgraded her battery charge after doctors declared that the victim was brain dead. The woman’s family is weighing removing her from life support, according to the report. When someone is declared brain dead, they are legally considered to be deceased.
Williams, now facing a second-degree murder charge, in being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Her bond has yet to be set as of Monday evening.
