Father of Mariah Farrow working on movie to honor CSU student killed in 2015

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Seven years ago, a freshman at Columbus State University was killed in a blind rage by her ex-boyfriend in Phenix City.

The suspect charged was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Mariah Farrow’s story was recently broadcast on an episode of “Fatal Attraction” on TV One.

The central message of that episode was the need for more domestic violence victims to speak up. With that in mind, her father says he’s working on a longer piece and in the process of putting together a movie.

“Be safe out there. Nobody can be trusted. You know, love, it don’t hurt,” said Zachary Farrow.

In 2015, Columbus State University lost one of their own. Police say freshman Mariah Farrow was killed in Phenix City. The suspect charged with murder for her death was her ex-boyfriend, Demetrius Dorsey.

After the loss of his daughter, her father Zachary says the family suffered another blow -- the second time from the justice system when Dorsey was sentenced to life with the possibility for parole after taking a plea deal in 2019.

“It’s a failure to us...and we’re going to make sure that we’re sitting there at the front row whenever he comes up for parole. And every time he comes up for it, there’s going to be somebody there that’s going to make sure that he never gets out. And that’s a promise,” said Zachary.

Mariah’s story was recently featured on an episode of Fatal Attraction. Her father says he’s a big fan of the show and reached out to production himself. During the episode, her family says they did not know Mariah’s ex was abusive. Her father offers this key piece of advice to parents.

“Be nosey. Figure out what they got going on. The phones -- that’s one of the keys to a lot of stuff that we could get resolved around here. Go through it every now and then,” he suggests.

And Mariah’s phone was a crucial piece of evidence. Production showed incriminating messages detectives found including one where Dorsey threatened to kill Mariah minutes before it actually happened. However, her response indicated she did not take the threat seriously.

Her father and mother have other plans in line to continue raising awareness. One hopes to create a foundation and the other is working on a movie.

“It’s going to be a true story about her but it’s going to be stuff in there that we’re going to try to catch other people’s eyes so they can come to the fact that this actually happened,” said Zachary.

Dorsey is still serving his life sentence at Elmore Correctional Facility. He is eligible for parole October 2030.

“If you do fall in love, make sure you know that background, make sure you know everything about that person,” said Zachary, reminding people to watch out for red flags.

Columbus State University offers a variety of resources like counseling, legal and financial assistance to students and staff who are victims of traumatic crimes like domestic violence. For more information, click here.

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