Zarian Dyer smirked into the camera in his newly released booking photo after police accused him of plotting to have his own fiancée sexually assaulted.
Dyer, 23, was arrested Thursday at his workplace by Buckeye Police Department detectives who say he recruited Adrian Ayala, 20, to attack Bella Torres earlier this month at the couple’s Arizona home. Online records show Dyer faces aggravated assault, sexual abuse, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping and conspiracy charges stemming from the Oct. 16 incident.
Torres told investigators she was at home with her two young children when she spotted a stranger peering through her front door around 6 p.m. Her 2-month-old son was asleep in a bedroom, and her 17-month-old daughter stood behind her as she confronted Ayala, who asked to use the bathroom, according to court records.
The situation turned violent within moments. Ayala allegedly kicked in the door, forced his way inside, and began choking Torres by grabbing her neck, she told police. He then locked them both in the bathroom and tried to undo the button on her pants but failed, instead groping her before she managed to fight him off.
Torres dragged her attacker outside into the front yard, pushing him away, slapping his face and shouting at him as he pressed his weight against her. After she fended him off, Ayala allegedly delivered a chilling message: “Your boyfriend told me you’d be into this.”
Ayala fled but was arrested the following day at his Goodyear home, roughly 15 miles away, and charged with kidnapping, sexual abuse, burglary and aggravated assault. During his Oct. 18 court appearance, his attorney told the judge that Ayala had been brought to the home by the victim’s boyfriend for a “role-play scenario,” arguing he had no intent to commit a felony and believed he had Torres’ consent.
The alleged conspiracy unraveled after Ayala’s arrest when investigators examined his electronic devices. Detectives discovered communications between Dyer and Ayala detailing the planned assault, and Ayala claimed he had connected with Dyer online and entered an agreement to sexually assault Torres, police said.
What motivated Dyer to allegedly target his own fiancée in her home with her children present remains unknown to investigators. The case has drawn particular attention for the calculated nature of the alleged plot and the stark contrast between Dyer’s domestic life and the charges he now faces.
Police have not disclosed what online platform the men used to arrange the attack or how long they had been in contact before the incident.
Ayala remains in custody on his original charges while Dyer was booked into Maricopa County jail following his workplace arrest, with both men facing the possibility of lengthy prison sentences if convicted on the felony counts.