On October 21, 2023, a dispute over bathroom items turned fatal at The Elevate at South Mountain apartment complex in Phoenix, Arizona.
Yaaliyah E. Jackson, 18, was taken into custody on charges of second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a 53-year-old man.
The deceased, Zsolt Csaszar, was a friend of Jackson’s sister. Csaszar had been granted permission by Jackson’s sister to stay at the apartment for a few days. Jackson, who had been subleasing the apartment from his sister, had never met Csaszar prior to the day of the incident.
According to reports, the events that led to the stabbing began shortly after Csaszar took a shower at the apartment. Jackson confronted Csaszar about removing his personal items from the bathroom, which quickly escalated into a physical confrontation between the two.
Jackson told the police that Csaszar pushed him several times, causing him to end up in the kitchen. Feeling threatened by Csaszar’s actions, Jackson grabbed a knife from a butcher block, intending only to scare Csaszar. However, the altercation intensified, with Jackson stabbing Csaszar three times while in the kitchen and then two to three more times as the fight continued into the bedroom.
Phoenix Police Department officers responded to the scene around 5 pm, following a 911 call from Jackson. The call described a fight between the two men and Jackson’s subsequent actions. First responders found Csaszar in the bedroom, having suffered multiple stab wounds to the torso. A butcher knife was found atop Csaszar’s body.
Despite Jackson’s claims of feeling threatened, police noted significant differences in the physical stature of the two men. Jackson, standing at 6’4″ and weighing 230 pounds, was notably larger than Csaszar, who was 5’6″ and weighed 205 pounds. Moreover, the police reported that Csaszar was unarmed throughout the altercation.
After the stabbing, Jackson called his sister to inform her about the fight and its fatal conclusion. He later told authorities that he felt threatened when Csaszar “got in my face” during their confrontation.
Currently, Jackson is being held at Maricopa County Jail with a bond set at $1,000,000. He is scheduled for another court appearance on Friday, October 27.