After speaking with William Thomas Zeigler’s relatives, more information came out that shows that people have been tampering with the crime scene.
When Mr. Zeigler arrived in the hospital for emergency surgery, law enforcement officers contacted the Zeigler family to let them know that he was shot. At that time, nobody yet knew where his wife and in-laws were. Some four hours after Tommy’s arrival in the hospital, his relatives were told about their dead family members inside the furniture store.
The next morning, direct family went over to the Zeigler home to take care of the cats. Tommy and Eunice had a couple of show cats. One direct relative said that upon arrival it was clear that the house was not secured. After the discovery in the furniture store of the rampage, police only focused on the store and neglected to secure the Zeigler home. When this relative entered the living room, Eunice’s handbag was tossed on the sofa, turned upside down and inside out, the contents all over the sofa. This relative did not touch anything.
Later when the police made their official reports and crime scene photographs, something very interesting happened that proofs crime scene tampering. When the police came to the house to collect evidence and to take their official photographs the sofa was cleaned up and Eunice’s handbag was found in the master bedroom. But it gets worse. Eunice’s handbag was found standing on top of the nightstand next to the telephone. Now you may wonder what is so suspicious about that.
Simple…
Eunice’s handbag was placed on the nightstand on Tommy’s side of the bed! The phone was at his side of the bed. They frequently received calls from tenants in the evening since they owned many apartment buildings. Now how many wives will take their handbags into the master bedroom and then place their handbags on their husbands’ nightstand? Tommy said that Eunice never did that because obviously, it was not practical.
The same direct relative spoke about cleaning up the Zeigler home. None could believe that Tommy was out to kill Eunice. Battling feelings of disloyalty, this relative searched the Zeigler home for indications that Eunice was planning to leave Tommy. The state of Florida contended that she was planning to leave him that Christmas Eve. If true, Eunice would have done some packing. No packed suitcases were found. No piles of clothes were found on the master bed to indicate preparation for travel. All personal items from jewelry to cosmetics were at their usual spot. Nothing indicated that Eunice was planning to leave the house for quite some time. Everything, including the cooking, hinted at what Tommy said years ago in his testimony: Eunice was bringing her parents to the furniture store so that Perry Edwards, her father, could pick out his own recliner. That recliner was his Christmas present from his daughter and Tommy.
Last, the state of Florida contended at trial to be absolutely sure that Eunice’s body was not moved after she had been shot. Evidence was her hand in her pocket. I think her left hand in her pocket had to disguise that some things were missing from that hand: two diamond rings. When the physical evidence inventory was made, her two diamond rings were not listed.
With so many questions open, it is very hard to believe that the state of Florida is steadfast in its belief that they did the right thing by prosecuting Tommy. I wished that they had they courage to acknowledge that they wrongfully convicted William Thomas Zeigler.