Arizona woman fought off would-be attacker. He was hired by her fiancé to sexually assault her, cops say
A woman fought off a stranger who allegedly broke into her Arizona home and tried to sexually assault her, only to discover that police believe her own fiancé had arranged the attack.
Zarian Dyer, 23, allegedly hired Adrian Ayala, 20, of Goodyear, whom he met online, to assault his fiancée, Bella Torres, a mother of two young children, on October 16, according to the Buckeye Police Department.
Home surveillance footage obtained by Arizona Family captured the confrontation, including Ayala telling Torres that the men met on Reddit.
“Your boyfriend told me you’d be into this,” Ayala told her.
Torres initially believed it was a random attack. She challenged Ayala to name her fiancé and describe his appearance, questioning whether the stranger really knew him.
“I’ve never seen this person in my life. Neither has my partner. He (Ayala) was seen walking around other houses. I just got caught in the crossfire,” she told AZ Family last week.
However, investigators have since uncovered messages on Ayala’s cellphone that allegedly showed the two men discussing and planning the attack before Ayala showed up at Torres’ home.
Torres told police she spotted Ayala peeking through her front door just minutes after Dyer left to pick up groceries, according to court records obtained by the Merced Sun-Star.
Her 2-month-old son was asleep in a bedroom, while her 17-month-old daughter stood behind her as she confronted Ayala. He allegedly asked to use the bathroom before kicking in the front door and forcing his way inside.
Ayala then allegedly grabbed Torres by the neck and choked her. The struggle moved into the bathroom, where he locked himself inside with her, tried to unbutton her pants and groped her, according to court records, per the Sun-Star.
The struggle then moved to the driveway. Surveillance footage shows Torres fighting Ayala, hitting him and demanding to know who he is. Torres’ fiancé then arrives, rushes toward them and chases Ayala in his car as he flees.
Ayala was arrested and told police he had gone to Torres’ home after reaching an agreement with Dyer to sexually assault her. He claimed Dyer presented the arrangement as a “role-play scenario,” his attorney said in court.
Ayala’s attorney further argued that his client believed Torres had consented and did not intend to commit a felony. However, police said evidence recovered from Ayala’s cellphone supported their allegations that the two men had coordinated the attack.
Investigators have not established a motive for the alleged plot.
