Spring Break
Suspect nice, normal, friends say
Amanda Wells
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: News
Friends and coworkers of Zachariah Marcyniuk were shocked to hear about his arrest Sunday evening. Marcyniuk - who friends have described as a mild-mannered, optimistic person who loves people, animals and all forms of artistic expression - is being charged with capital murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend, Katharine Wood.
UA senior Laura Cotton has known Marcyniuk since they met in an international film class about three years ago. The two became friends, and often watched movies and cooked dinner together, she said.
"He's a blast to be around," Cotton said. "He has got a big heart, he's very intelligent, he has traveled a lot and he just has this respect for people."
Jason Rice, who worked with Marcyniuk as a delivery driver at Eureka Pizza in Fayetteville, has a similar impression of him.
"I started [at Eureka Pizza] in mid- to late-October, and Zach was one of the kids who trained me up there," Rice said. "He went out of his way to be nice. He kind of took me under his wing when I first started - giving me tips and showing me tricks for doing the job right and sticking around.
"We all love him up there," Rice said.
Ross Powell, Marcyniuk's manager at Eureka Pizza, agreed.
"He is a friend of everyone up here," Powell said. "We're all taking this pretty hard."
Delivery driver Dustin Alexander has worked with Marcyniuk since he started at Eureka Pizza about a year and a half ago. In that time, he said, Marcyniuk had never been written up or received a single customer complaint.
Beyond being a good co-worker, though, Alexander also said he counted Marcyniuk among his friends.
"We would get together to watch 'Lost' every Thursday night - usually over at his house," Alexander said, "and we'd play 'Tiger Woods [PGA Tour].' I borrowed cheesy movies from him all the time. He's a totally normal guy."
Marcyniuk, who was a graphic design major at the UA until he withdrew from school this semester, spent his spare time making music and taking photographs, friends said.
UA senior Laura Cotton has known Marcyniuk since they met in an international film class about three years ago. The two became friends, and often watched movies and cooked dinner together, she said.
"He's a blast to be around," Cotton said. "He has got a big heart, he's very intelligent, he has traveled a lot and he just has this respect for people."
Jason Rice, who worked with Marcyniuk as a delivery driver at Eureka Pizza in Fayetteville, has a similar impression of him.
"I started [at Eureka Pizza] in mid- to late-October, and Zach was one of the kids who trained me up there," Rice said. "He went out of his way to be nice. He kind of took me under his wing when I first started - giving me tips and showing me tricks for doing the job right and sticking around.
"We all love him up there," Rice said.
Ross Powell, Marcyniuk's manager at Eureka Pizza, agreed.
"He is a friend of everyone up here," Powell said. "We're all taking this pretty hard."
Delivery driver Dustin Alexander has worked with Marcyniuk since he started at Eureka Pizza about a year and a half ago. In that time, he said, Marcyniuk had never been written up or received a single customer complaint.
Beyond being a good co-worker, though, Alexander also said he counted Marcyniuk among his friends.
"We would get together to watch 'Lost' every Thursday night - usually over at his house," Alexander said, "and we'd play 'Tiger Woods [PGA Tour].' I borrowed cheesy movies from him all the time. He's a totally normal guy."
Marcyniuk, who was a graphic design major at the UA until he withdrew from school this semester, spent his spare time making music and taking photographs, friends said.
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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