Arizona man charged after allegedly hiring stranger to assault fiancée at her home

A 23-year-old Arizona man has been arrested on charges that he coordinated with a stranger to sexually assault his fiancée inside her own home. The incident occurred in Buckeye, a suburb located roughly 30 miles west of Phoenix, leaving the victim to fend off the attacker in the driveway.

Police said the attack began on Oct. 16 around 6 p.m. when Adrian Ayala, 20, arrived at the residence. The woman was home alone with her two children, a 2-month-old son and a 17-month-old daughter, at the time. She told investigators that she saw a man poking his head through her front door shortly after her fiancé left to buy groceries. Ayala asked to use the bathroom, kicked the door open, and forced his way inside.

Court records state that Ayala grabbed the woman by the neck and choked her. The struggle moved into the bathroom, where Ayala locked the door and attempted to undo the button on her pants. He groped her before she managed to pull him back outside into the front yard. Home security footage shows the woman slapping the man in the face and pushing him away as he leaned his weight into her. As she fought him off, Ayala reportedly told her, "Your boyfriend told me you’d be into this."

The woman chased Ayala down the street as he fled. Police captured him the next day at his residence in Goodyear, which is about 15 miles from the crime scene. Investigators later determined that the victim's fiancé, Zarian Dyer, had masterminded the scheme. Dyer and Ayala had met online and agreed to the plan. Detectives seized electronic devices and found communications between the two men discussing the attack.

Ayala made his first court appearance on Oct. 18. His attorney told the judge that his client was brought to the home for a "role-play scenario" and believed he had the woman's consent. The lawyer argued that Ayala had no intent to commit a felony. Ayala is charged with kidnapping, sexual abuse, burglary, and aggravated assault. His trial is scheduled for April 1, 2027.

Dyer was charged with aggravated assault, sexual abuse, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, and conspiracy. A court date for Dyer has not yet been set. Investigators said it is currently unclear what motivated Dyer to orchestrate the attack on his fiancée.