Florida woman charged for beating man to death when he 'masturbated on her lawn'

Zeiders claimed she instructed two men to attack Denham in her defence but denied her own participation in the assault. Photo / Police handout

A Florida woman charged with beating a man to death said he masturbated on her lawn.

Jaidan Sinead Zeiders, 26, of Tampa, was arrested last week in connection with the death of William Denham Jr.

Denham, 53, was a social worker who was found on the footpath outside Zeider's house. His grocery shopping was on the ground next to him.

Officers say she claimed to have hidden in her laundry room while Denham was in the yard, before two men living at the same address arrived home.

Zeiders then pointed Denham out to the two men, who began following him down the street, according to a police report seen by the Tampa Bay Times.

Zeiders claimed she instructed two men to attack Denham in her defence but denied her own participation in the assault.

She also said a man she had never seen before emerged from the bushes, kicked Denham in the head, and started going through his pockets.

Zeiders claims she watched the ambulance arrive, at which point the man walked away and refused medical treatment.

Denham's family say Zeiders' allegations are absurd and that he would not be interested in masturbating on her lawn because he was gay.

"He never would have attacked anyone," the victim's sister Maureen Tourigian told the Tampa Bay Times. "Anyone who knows know him know that, and that he never would expose himself to a woman. He wasn't interested."

A witness reportedly told cops he saw Zeiders and her pals beating and kicking Denham, and that he heard the word "pedophile" used during the attack.

Dan Kane, Denham's life-long partner, believes the trio beat his companion to death after attempting to rob him and discovering he only had a few dollars in his pocket.

Kane rubbished the masturbation story, saying it would have been completely out of character for Denham, especially considering his sexual orientation.