Winter Garden: A new court filing claims that Tommy Zeigler, who has been on death row for nearly 50 years, couldn’t have committed the murders of his wife and in-laws on Christmas Eve 1975. His lawyers argue that the blood evidence at the scene and the lack of blood on Zeigler’s clothes prove his innocence.
They say fresh DNA tests support his story of stumbling upon a burglary gone wrong at his furniture store. This evidence raises serious doubts about his conviction, which could lead to it being overturned.
Back in 1976, prosecutors painted Zeigler as a cold-blooded killer who shot his family and then tried to pin the blame on three Black men. But the new tests suggest another man might actually be the real killer.
Now 80, Zeigler has spent almost half a century on death row, the longest-serving inmate in Florida. He’s been fighting for DNA testing for years, but his requests were denied multiple times until recently.
In 2021, Monique Worrell, the state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties, took a fresh look at his case. She believed it was crucial to ensure the right person was convicted. Despite opposition from the attorney general, the Florida Supreme Court allowed the DNA testing to proceed.
Worrell was suspended in 2023 but has since returned to her position, giving hope to Zeigler and his legal team that they might finally get justice.
One of his attorneys, David Michaeli, emphasized that there’s a lot of reasonable doubt in this case. He believes no one should be convicted, let alone executed, without absolute certainty of guilt.
In a recent interview, Zeigler expressed his hope that his case would highlight the issues of police and prosecutorial misconduct in Florida’s death penalty system.
His lawyers claim that evidence was mishandled, witnesses were coached, and crucial information was withheld during the original trial. They also allege that the judge acted improperly by influencing a juror’s vote.
If Zeigler is exonerated, he would join a group of 30 other wrongfully convicted men released from Florida’s death row, the highest number in any state.
On that fateful Christmas Eve in 1975, Zeigler and his handyman arrived at the furniture store to deliver gifts. He was attacked as he entered, and after a struggle, he was shot in the abdomen.
When police arrived, they found his wife and in-laws dead in different parts of the store. Zeigler was charged with their murders while recovering in the hospital.
The prosecution’s case relied heavily on testimony from his handyman, who claimed Zeigler shot at him. However, the blood evidence that could have cleared him was never properly tested.
Fast forward to last June, when his lawyers brought him the latest DNA results. They found no blood from his family on his clothes, which suggests he wasn’t present during the murders.
Zeigler felt a mix of hope and skepticism about the new evidence. He’s been let down too many times before to get too excited.
His fate now rests with State Attorney Worrell, who has the power to support his request for a new trial. After her recent reinstatement, she expressed her intention to review the DNA results soon.
Zeigler’s ultimate goal is to clear his name after all these years. He wonders if a judge will finally acknowledge the mistakes made in his case.
“We just have to wait and see if a judge will stand up after 48 years,” he said, “and say, ‘we screwed up.’”
