Suspect nice, normal, friends say
Amanda Wells
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: News
"He wanted to be a photographer - that's what he wanted to do in life," Alexander said. "He was working on building a darkroom in his apartment. He also made electronic-type music."
Rice, a fellow musician, frequently talked to Marcyniuk about music.
"We would sit around and talk about equipment, different bands and things like that," Rice said. "He was a mild-mannered, really cool guy."
Among his other hobbies, Marcyniuk is also interested in animal rights.
"He is really passionate about animal rights," Cotton said. " He's very opposed to any kind of animal cruelty, and he's always trying to get people involved."
The flattering portrait of Marcyniuk painted by his friends and co-workers is vastly different from the image cast by his prior arrest records.
Marcyniuk's criminal record includes arrests in Fayetteville in 2005 for first-degree false imprisonment, aggravated assault, violation of protection order, burglary, theft of property and first-degree criminal mischief.
Alexander and others who worked with Marcyniuk are upset by the amount of attention the media has focused on his past problems.
"There are a lot of us who know Zachariah, but not as the person he's been made out to be," Alexander said. "Everything we've seen in the press has just made him out to be some kind of monster. He was always so normal; he was everyone's friend.
"I just want to make sure people hear about Zachariah, not 'Zachariah Marcyniuk, capital-murder suspect,'" he said.
Cotton, who met Marcyniuk in 2005, said she feels the same way.
"For people to look at [his arrest record] and not look at any of the circumstances surrounding it makes him look really bad," she said. "That's not the Zach I know."
Even though Cotton knew about Marcyniuk's prior arrests, she said she still has a hard time believing he could have committed the crime with which he is now charged.
"I guess anything's possible, but it's nothing that I would have ever expected from Zach," she said. "You just don't want to consider the possibility that your friend could have done something like that."
Rice, a fellow musician, frequently talked to Marcyniuk about music.
"We would sit around and talk about equipment, different bands and things like that," Rice said. "He was a mild-mannered, really cool guy."
Among his other hobbies, Marcyniuk is also interested in animal rights.
"He is really passionate about animal rights," Cotton said. " He's very opposed to any kind of animal cruelty, and he's always trying to get people involved."
The flattering portrait of Marcyniuk painted by his friends and co-workers is vastly different from the image cast by his prior arrest records.
Marcyniuk's criminal record includes arrests in Fayetteville in 2005 for first-degree false imprisonment, aggravated assault, violation of protection order, burglary, theft of property and first-degree criminal mischief.
Alexander and others who worked with Marcyniuk are upset by the amount of attention the media has focused on his past problems.
"There are a lot of us who know Zachariah, but not as the person he's been made out to be," Alexander said. "Everything we've seen in the press has just made him out to be some kind of monster. He was always so normal; he was everyone's friend.
"I just want to make sure people hear about Zachariah, not 'Zachariah Marcyniuk, capital-murder suspect,'" he said.
Cotton, who met Marcyniuk in 2005, said she feels the same way.
"For people to look at [his arrest record] and not look at any of the circumstances surrounding it makes him look really bad," she said. "That's not the Zach I know."
Even though Cotton knew about Marcyniuk's prior arrests, she said she still has a hard time believing he could have committed the crime with which he is now charged.
"I guess anything's possible, but it's nothing that I would have ever expected from Zach," she said. "You just don't want to consider the possibility that your friend could have done something like that."
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 12
lisa m
lisa m
posted 3/14/08 @ 8:37 AM CST
It's understandable that Marcyniuk's friends would be shocked and even supportive of him. However, I have a hard time seeing him as any kind of victim here. (Continued…)
JM
posted 3/14/08 @ 10:41 AM CST
"Everything we've seen in the press has just made him out to be some kind of monster."
That's because he apparently stabbed a girl to death. He also stalked and threatened a girl in 2005. (Continued…)
Vicki Edwards
posted 3/14/08 @ 12:22 PM CST
I am the mother of the young woman from the 2005 incidents. I CAN NOT believe that anyone can feel sorry for Mr. Marcyniuk.
He has been a shadow behind my daughter for years. (Continued…)
dustinalexander
dustin alexander
posted 3/14/08 @ 4:18 PM CST
Please understand that there is no pity for zachariah, as I said if zach did this then he deserves what he gets, I had a very good friend get killed in 1997 by an ex-boyfriend/stalker, I DO NOT PITY HIM, a large part of the reason that I wanted to say anything publicly is because I do not want this to happen to anybody else, there is no way that any of the 15 or so of us who worked closely with him would have ever believed that he was capable of this, and that says something, when you can be around someone as much as we were around him and never see this coming, this could have been any of your co-workers whom you have invited into your lives, I just intended this to be a caution to any women in this town, please just be careful, carry pepper spray, a taser, get a concealed carry permit and a pistol, do whatever you need to do to be safe, and don't be afraid to defend yourself, the man you loved, who is acting crazy may really be crazy, if he's beating on your door screaming for you to
Mainstreet
Brittany D.
posted 3/14/08 @ 6:47 PM CST
I have to agree with the comments above. What is WRONG with you people?! How can you stand up for a MURDERER? He took an innocent girl's life! Why is it that when tragedies like this happen, people always say things like "He was such a great guy" and "I can't believe he would do this"? Come on now, do you honestly believe that you know what goes on in someone else's head?
Go educate yourselves by reading his live journal. (Continued…)
John M
posted 3/14/08 @ 9:02 PM CST
Well, friends of Jeffrey Dahmer didn't know he was eating people, either. So what? Evil people can hide their dark sides if they want to. Why is that surprising or newsworthy? Of course, he seemed like a nice guy to his coworkers at Eureeka Pizza. (Continued…)
Laura Cotton
posted 3/15/08 @ 1:56 AM CST
I am the Laura mentioned in his livejournal. I'm also the Laura that was interviewed in the paper. I was good friends with him, and I actually got to know him while he was getting over the break up with Sarah in 2005. (Continued…)
Andre
Allison
posted 3/27/08 @ 9:45 PM CST
As an afterthought, I'd like to add to whomever wrote this article: pick a new title, or find something else to write about. I don't feel that, as a journalist, you've treated this issue professionally. (Continued…)
What?
posted 3/28/08 @ 1:03 AM CST
What kind of normal, nice person can kill another human being by stabbing them to death? That's a special kind of murderer, it's up-close and personal. (Continued…)
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