Inset: Zaryanna Marshall (Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office). Background: The community where Zaryanna Marshall lives and allegedly stabbed a man she met online (Google Maps).
A Florida woman allegedly met a man online and then tried killing him two days later while spending the night together — plunging a knife into the back of his neck — after he called her a derogatory term for people with intellectual disabilities, cops say.
Zaryanna Marshall, 22, is charged with attempted murder in connection with the Saturday night attack in the 400 block of Southeast 35th Avenue in Homestead, according to court records.
AÂ criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime on Tuesday accuses Marshall of meeting the victim online and then inviting him to her residence to spend the night. While there, the two of them allegedly got into a verbal altercation.
“The victim began to gather his belongings in order to leave,” the complaint says.
Marshall allegedly began to go through the victim’s pockets attempting to locate “rolling paper used to smoke marijuana,” according to police. This prompted the victim to allegedly call her out with the derogatory term.
“The victim told the subject she was retarded and the subject replied, ‘You wanna see retarded?'” the complaint states. “The subject then armed herself with a knife and stabbed the victim once in the back of the neck.”
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The Homestead Police Department received a 911 call and responded to the scene at around 9:05 p.m. Saturday. Officers located the victim and transported him to a local hospital for treatment. Detectives spoke to him about the alleged attack while he was in the hospital, the complaint says.
“The victim stated he met [Marshall] on social media two days ago,” police allege. “The subject invited the victim to her residence and he spent the night.”
Authorities later showed the victim a photo lineup and he allegedly pointed out Marshall. Authorities returned to the young woman’s residence on Sunday and arrested her.
“The subject stated the incident was self-defense,” the complaint says. “The subject stated the victim punched her once in the face and she armed herself with the knife and stabbed the victim,” it adds. “The subject had no signs of injury and would not allow officers to photograph her.”
Court records show that Marshall is currently on probation and was on a “monitored release” house arrest program at the time of the alleged attack. She was arrested for armed robbery in July, domestic battery in 2023, and battery in 2022.
Marshall is due in court on Sept. 9 for the attempted murder charge.
