Zakia Merrill was acquitted on Wednesday of murder and weapons offenses in a 2013 stabbing death
Zakia Merrill NEWARK -- After spending 933 days in custody, a Newark woman was released on Thursday following her acquittal at a trial this week in the 2013 stabbing death of another woman.
Zakia Merrill, 25, was found not guilty on Wednesday of murder and weapons offenses in connection with the Aug. 31, 2013 killing of 24-year-old Newark resident Ebony Martin.
Merrill had been in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of posting $350,000 bail before her release on Thursday, court records show.
"She was just extremely thankful and relieved," said Merrill's attorney, Jonathan L. Gordon, describing her reaction to the verdict.
Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Allan P. Nawrocki, who tried the case, declined to comment.
The incident occurred during an altercation involving several people in the area of Pennsylvania Avenue and Thomas Street in Newark, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office. Martin was stabbed once in the chest and later died from her injuries, Carter said. The knife was never recovered, she said.
Merrill was arrested in the days after the killing and she was placed in custody at the county jail on Sept. 3, 2013, court records show. Merrill was indicted on June 13, 2014, court records show.
The more than two-year gap between the incident and Merrill's trial is not unusual for a murder case in Essex County due to various factors, including pre-trial motions in her case, scheduling issues and the overall backlog of cases in the county, according to Gordon.
The state's case against Merrill was based on the claims of two witnesses who testified at the trial that they saw Merrill fighting with Martin and, during that fight, they heard Martin exclaim, "She stabbed me," according to Gordon. Those witnesses never said they saw Merrill with a knife, Gordon said.
But when Merrill took the witness stand, she said she was present at the scene, but she did not fight anyone, Gordon said. Merrill testified she saw her male cousin stab Martin and later heard him admit to the stabbing, Gordon said.
Gordon said Merrill's testimony was "extremely credible and strong."
"She looked them in the eye...and she told the whole truth," said Gordon, referring to the jurors.
In the jury's decision to acquit Merrill, Gordon said jurors were likely swayed by her demeanor during the trial, her testimony and the fact that when police came to her home to arrest her a couple of days after the incident, Merrill had no bruises that would indicate she had been in a fight.
Pointing out the absence of such bruises was part of the defense's argument about the "lack of evidence, no corroboration of the story of the two witnesses," Gordon said.
"There was absolutely nothing," Gordon said. "The fact that she literally didn't have a mark on her...I think was certainly important."
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.