A Buckeye woman attacked in her home last month defended her fiancé during a court hearing Wednesday, rejecting allegations that he helped arrange the assault. Authorities accuse Zarian Dyer, 23, of planning the Oct. 16 attack with Adrian Ayala, 20, through exchanges on Reddit.
The woman told the judge that Ayala had falsely implicated her partner while trying to explain his own actions. She disputed Ayala’s claim that Dyer had sent him to her home. Police, however, say they have messages and other evidence connecting Dyer to the alleged plan, an account the woman rejected in her statement to the court.
According to court documents, Dyer gave Ayala instructions about when to arrive, where to leave his vehicle and how to enter the home. A prosecutor also alleged that Dyer wanted Ayala to contact him on FaceTime while the attack was taking place. Police said the woman had not consented.
As she recounted the encounter during the hearing, the woman broke down in tears. She said a security sensor notified her that her front door was opening. Believing her partner was returning after bringing in groceries, she approached the entrance with her daughter to help him. Instead of her partner, she encountered someone she did not know.
The woman identified that stranger as Ayala and said he requested permission to use her restroom. When she turned down the request, she said, he forced his way inside and attacked her. Ayala also faces an accusation that he kicked her daughter, who was 17 months old.
Ayala was arrested Oct. 17 and has since been released from custody. At the hearing, a judge entered pleas of not guilty on his behalf to five counts. The judge left his existing release conditions in effect, including a requirement that he have no contact with the victims.
The woman also told the court about financial difficulties following the arrests. She described a loss of income and said she was facing eviction, adding those concerns to her account of the attack and its aftermath.
Dyer remains in custody, with his bond set at $500,000. The woman’s defense of him came despite the allegations detailed by police and in court documents about his communications with Ayala before the attack.
