Brianna Elise Zerth charged with murdering cousin – A 30-year-old woman in Arizona was arrested for allegedly killing her 33-year-old cousin, who was beaten to death with a claw hammer last year. Brianna Elise Zerth was taken into custody on Friday after a Maricopa County grand jury returned a true bill indicting her on one count each of second-degree intentional murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, and tampering, destroying, or altering physical evidence in the slaying of Peter McKenna Jr., court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Brianna Elise Zerth (Peoria Police Department) and Peter McKenna Jr. (KOLD screenshot)Officers with the Peoria Police Department responded to an emergency call just after noon on May 5, 2022, about a dead man at a home in the area of 112th Avenue and W. Diana Avenue, the department said in a press release. First responders found McKenna — who appeared to have suffered multiple blunt-force trauma injuries — and declared him dead.
Brianna Elise Zerth charged with murdering cousin
A preliminary investigation revealed that Zerth was related to the victim, who lived in the home where he was found. Zerth, who called the police, was taken into custody.
According to a report from Tucson, Arizona, CBS affiliate KOLD-TV, Zerth was initially charged following her arrest but later released when prosecutors declined to formally charge her due to a lack of evidence.
“The County Attorney’s Office received a submittal from the Peoria Police Department on Brianna Zerth for an incident on May 4. The submitted charges were second-degree murder, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence,” the County Attorney’s Office said in a statement to KOLD. “Prosecutors reviewed the evidence and referred the case back to law enforcement for additional information. Our office has had regular contact with the next of kin in this case, and we acknowledge the criminal justice system can be frustrating. We will make a decision on this case upon receiving the additional information requested.”
