Tommy Ziegler -- Still Pending? Or Has He Been Put To Death?

[johnnyangel]

This case really intrigued me, and I personally believe this guy was set up and framed.

My question is - - is he still alive or what is gonna happen? Anybody happen to know if there is contact info for him? (No I AM NOT NUTS)

[Or So It Seems]

Here's the most recent newspaper article about Tommy Zeigler (unfortunately it's 10 months old and there is no update on the DNA results):



The Associated Press State & Local Wire



August 28, 2001, Tuesday, BC cycle

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 331 words

HEADLINE: Winter Garden man on death row gets OK for DNA test

DATELINE: ORLANDO, Fla.

BODY:
A Winter Garden man on death row for the 1975 Christmas Eve massacre of his family has won a request for DNA testing of blood evidence.

Tommy Zeigler, now 56, had exhausted most of his appeals when he asked Orange County Circuit Judge Donald Grincewicz for permission to test the evidence for use in a clemency petition to the governor. He also hopes the evidence will exonerate him. Grincewicz said Monday he would allow the tests "in an abundance of caution" and "to instill confidence in the judicial system."

"We're pleased because we think the judge got it right," said John Houston Pope, Zeigler's New York attorney. "We are happy to have the opportunity to prepare a proper case."

Zeigler was convicted in the slayings of his wife, Eunice, 29, her parents, Perry and Virginia Edwards, 72 and 54, and Charles Mays, 35, a customer of the Zeigler family's furniture store.

Prosecutors said Zeigler committed the murders in a cold-blooded scheme to collect $500,000 in insurance money, but Zeigler has maintained his innocence.

A North Carolina laboratory will test Zeigler, his shirt, Mays' shoes and trousers and blood samples from all the victims as well as Felton Thomas, a friend of Mays who had gone to the furniture store with him that night. It will be months before the results are available.

In an editorial published in The Miami Herald on Tuesday, activist Bianca Jagger argued that Gov. Jeb Bush should order full independent DNA testing of the crime-scene blood.

"... It is obvious that justice suffered a fatal blow when the state failed to match the blood from the crime scene to the multiple bodies of the same blood type," Jagger wrote.

Assistant State Attorneys Chris Lerner and Jeff Ashton said they think the evidence will help solidify their case against Zeigler, who claimed he was a victim of robbery.

"I'm confident the evidence will reinforce Mr. Zeigler's guilt," Ashton said. "It's not going to change the minds of anyone."

[Kane]

Check out the following site: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/activeinmates/deathrowroster.asp

I looked up Tommy's Zeigler's profile, which is said to be "current as of 6/23/02." He is still with us, since he has not been executed.

His full name is William Thomas Zeigler.

[george ramos]

I know this thread is old but there is an important update in the case. A judge denied Tommy Ziegler's appeal because the DNA didn't prove that a jury would acquit him. He will never be released. Here's the link for more details.http://www.fadp.org/news/TBO-20050419.htm

[Tap Dancer]

Check out the following site: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/activeinmates/deathrowroster.asp

I looked up Tommy's Zeigler's profile, which is said to be "current as of 6/23/02." He is still with us, since he has not been executed.

His full name is William Thomas Zeigler.
Thanks for the link, Kane. As of January 2009, Tommy is still on Death Row. I had been wondering about him too.

[Jediknight1823]

Thanks for the link, Kane. As of January 2009, Tommy is still on Death Row. I had been wondering about him too.

I don't think the state of Florida is going to execute him. Because of the massive uproar that would happen if they did execute him. Also they've got to know that he's innocent, but for some reason won't let him out. Possibly because they don't want to admit that not only were they wrong, but that law enforcement and the judge completely railroaded Zeigler and made sure he would do down for this. And in the case of law enforcement had a part in the murders.

Unfortunately I think this case will have an ending like Michael Lloyd Self's. Zeigler dieing in jail, and never getting his name cleared.

[Hambone2421]

I'm bumping this up because I'd like to see what everyone thinks about this case. This episode was on this past Sunday morning. I have mixed feelings about but I lean towards the position that he was framed for this crime. Does anyone else have any thoughts?

[kadrmas15]

Actually, I would agree, I do not think the State of Florida will execute him either. Mainly it is because there is enough doubt about his guilt that I do not think any Governor there is going to take the chance of possibly authorizing an innocent man to be executed. I know that twerp, Lawson Lamar who is the State Attorney in Orlando wrote a letter to Governor Crist asking him to sign Zeigler;s death warrant but I do not think it will happen but we shall see. Zeigler ran out of appeals about 3 years ago now. I just think it would be too controversial and I do not see them taking the chance.

[mozartpc27]

For my 500th post, I will say that I had some extensive comments I wanted to post regarding this case, but it will have to wait until tomorrow or later because it is too late tonight. I wrote it about once before - in this tiny thread (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=164232&highlight=tommy+ziegler) - but I have some more to say, specifically in response to Corky Kneivel's posts in this thread (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=205728&page=3&highlight=tommy+ziegler). I see Corky still posts here occasionally, so hopefully s/he will come back to have this little back-and-forth, but in the mean time, I'd sure like it if someone could take up the part of the prosecution in this case and present a case for Ziegler's guilt. I think the prosecution's story is dangerously close to absurd, but I also suspect that UM, as usual, has been selective in the facts it presents to make the prisoner it is profiling seem more sympathetic/likely to be innocent.

Hopefully I'll post my massive post about this case tomorrow!

[Hambone2421]

Actually, I would agree, I do not think the State of Florida will execute him either. Mainly it is because there is enough doubt about his guilt that I do not think any Governor there is going to take the chance of possibly authorizing an innocent man to be executed. I know that twerp, Lawson Lamar who is the State Attorney in Orlando wrote a letter to Governor Crist asking him to sign Zeigler;s death warrant but I do not think it will happen but we shall see. Zeigler ran out of appeals about 3 years ago now. I just think it would be too controversial and I do not see them taking the chance.

What really gets me is that Ziegler was shot in the side. If he did that to himself to try to prove that he was a victim, then that's a pretty dumb place to shoot yourself, especially if the bullet hits vital organs. I think that if he were shooting himself to try to make it look like he was a victim as well, he could have shot himself in far less serious places then his side. But I agree with you, I don't think they want to risk putting him to death, then later find out he was not guilty. If he is indeed not guilty, then I feel horrible for this guy. He has spent most of his natural born life behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

[Clockworkhigh]

What really gets me is that Ziegler was shot in the side. If he did that to himself to try to prove that he was a victim, then that's a pretty dumb place to shoot yourself, especially if the bullet hits vital organs. I think that if he were shooting himself to try to make it look like he was a victim as well, he could have shot himself in far less serious places then his side. But I agree with you, I don't think they want to risk putting him to death, then later find out he was not guilty. If he is indeed not guilty, then I feel horrible for this guy. He has spent most of his natural born life behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

I'm just not sure about him to be honest. I've always been torn on this one. There are so many fantastic coincidences regarding Tommy. He is either the most unlucky man on the face of the earth for having all the stars align against him or he is in fact a murderer. I really don't know. I think he was going to collect some life insurance for his wife's death and that was thought to be the motive, no?

[kadrmas15]

Well, his family was worth more money than what the insurance policy was even worth. I mean, this is not the best defense but I think if Tommy Z was going to do this, he would have done it in another way. I mean to involve all of these people? Then on top of that according to the state he took Charlie Mays and Felton Thomas to a nearby orange grove to show off new guns allegedly to frame them for the murders by getting their hands in gun shot residue and taint the guns with their fingerprints yet if that was his reason for doing that, why were all of the guns wiped clean of fingerprints?

I mean, I guess only Zeigler knows whether he did it or not for sure? However there were a lot of problems with the case, a shoddy investigation by police, a botched crime scene, warped theories by the cops and state. I mean they want you to believe he could survive a gunshot wound to the stomach at point blank range? I mean he would have probably died from the wound had he shot himself so that tells me the gun was fired from several inches away.

Now, I am aware that prosecution hack, Orange County State Attorney Lawson Lamar has in the last few months, asked Governor Charlie Crist to sign Zeigler's death warrant. However I certainly hope Zeigler is not executed as I feel he is an innocent man, and I have my doubts that Zeigler will ever actually be executed. I just think there is enough doubt in his case that it would be too controversial for him to be executed. But we will see. Zeigler has been on death row for 33 years, it will be 34 years in July. Meanwhile that scumbag Maurice Paul who is now a federal district court judge is 78 years old and still hearing cases and a pro state hack all the way from what I hear.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

Wow, Zeigler was never executed?

They are showing the case right now on Lifetime.

That's surprising since Florida is tough!

[sffan]

Wow, Zeigler was never executed?

They are showing the case right now on Lifetime.

That's surprising since Florida is tough!
I also just watched this case.
I just don't know if his motive is strong enough, wow I'm so torn!

[Big3sCompanyFan]

I also just watched this case.
I just don't know if his motive is strong enough, wow I'm so torn!

I just can't believe Florida hasn't done it yet since usually they don't take this long.

[DarkDante]

I just can't believe Florida hasn't done it yet since usually they don't take this long.

I don't believe either he or Walter Ogrod (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania) will ever be put to death. If it would've happened, it would've happened already.

[Jediknight1823]

I just can't believe Florida hasn't done it yet since usually they don't take this long.

Florida doesn't want to deal with the controversy if they do kill him. They also don't want to let him out, because that would be admitting that they screwed up massively, and have done so for a long time.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

Florida doesn't want to deal with the controversy if they do kill him. They also don't want to let him out, because that would be admitting that they screwed up massively, and have done so for a long time.

So he'll just be on death row forever??

They can't do that.

[TracyLynnS]

I also doubt Ziegler is guilty. So much about that case stunk (if you can believe anything you read online). One of my biggest problems is that the jury recommended life in prison yet the judge, who had a negative past with Ziegler, decided to give him the death penalty instead. I don't think that happens very often.

I also wonder how long Florida can keep him in prison. Since they never carried out his death sentence, are they just giving him life in prison against the judge's ruling? Have all his appeals run out? If he has no appeals remaining, I wonder what the state's excuse is for not carrying out the execution. If he'd gotten the life in prison sentence, he'd probably have been paroled a long time ago. I think he's been there about 36 years now.

If they want to save face, couldn't they just release him for "compassionate" reasons and drop it or is that crazy judge still alive and kicking and holding a grudge strong enough to keep Ziegler behind bars?

[Big3sCompanyFan]

I also doubt Ziegler is guilty. So much about that case stunk (if you can believe anything you read online). One of my biggest problems is that the jury recommended life in prison yet the judge, who had a negative past with Ziegler, decided to give him the death penalty instead. I don't think that happens very often.

I also wonder how long Florida can keep him in prison. Since they never carried out his death sentence, are they just giving him life in prison against the judge's ruling? Have all his appeals run out? If he has no appeals remaining, I wonder what the state's excuse is for not carrying out the execution. If he'd gotten the life in prison sentence, he'd probably have been paroled a long time ago. I think he's been there about 36 years now.

If they want to save face, couldn't they just release him for "compassionate" reasons and drop it or is that crazy judge still alive and kicking and holding a grudge strong enough to keep Ziegler behind bars?

When they have doubt they usually commute to LWOP.

[TheCars1986]

Florida doesn't want to deal with the controversy if they do kill him. They also don't want to let him out, because that would be admitting that they screwed up massively, and have done so for a long time.

I agree 100%. This is exactly why I don't think he'll ever be executed, but he also will never be taken off of death row.