• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home Page
  • About this website and the writer
  • Testimonials
  • Archives
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact Page

Defrosting Cold Cases

Unsolved cases that need your attention

  • Cold Case Database
    • Index
      • Cases Index A-G
      • Cases Index H-N
      • Cases Index O-Z
    • Summaries
      • Case Summaries A-G
      • Case Summaries H-N
      • Case Summaries O-Z
  • Two Research Methods
  • Search Tips
  • Case of the Month
  • Guest Writers
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Forensics / Zeigler, Part XIX

Zeigler, Part XIX

April 13, 2012 By Alice

the Zeigler wedding

Zeigler, Part XIX: There is a new and exciting turn of events in the case of William Thomas Zeigler.

As loyal readers know, Mr. Zeigler has been on death row for the 1975 quadruple murders that took place on Christmas Eve inside his family’s furniture store in Wintergarden, Florida.

When I started my posts about this case in March 2010, I told you then that I would not write another overview of the case because the late Phillip Finch had already done that in his excellent book “Fatal Flaw” and I could never do better. Instead, I set out to show you why I believed that Mr. Zeigler never had a fair trial and I based my posts on the charges against him and basic rules of procedure.

I laid the foundation by explaining the crime scene to you. Detective Frye was convinced that Mays died before the Edwards family including Mr. Zeigler’s wife, Eunice Edwards-Zeigler. I told you that I disagreed. In my analysis, Perry & Virginia Edwards were attacked at the same time that Eunice tried to run for help. The entire family was butchered. Then Mays got upset with the others. Around that time, Mr. Zeigler arrived at the store. He was shot, beaten and left for dead. Then the others decided to get rid of Mays and a fifth body hit the floor.

Support for this timeline was found in the statements made by John Jellison. In “The significance of the Jellison Tape” you see that an alternative timeline is possible and in fact, fits perfectly with my crime scene analysis. That, together with the withheld Thompson report, would have shown the jury that in fact, the state could not prove its charges against Mr. Zeigler. The withheld evidence (never disclosed to the defense during discovery) would in the hands of Terry Hadley have created reasonable doubt.

And now there is more.

Again it concerns withheld evidence.

Again it concerns lying on the stand by officials.

And again, if Terry Hadley had the correct information at the time of the initial trial, Mr. Zeigler would not have been found guilty.

If you look up Mr. Zeigler’s case at the Orange County Clerk of Courts webiste, you will find this:

OTHER EVENTS AND HEARINGS
04/11/2012 Motion for Post-Conviction Relief Refer to Judge

Motion to Vacate Judgment of Convictions and Sentences based on Newly Discovered Evidence
04/11/2012 Affidavit

for Defendant’s Motion to Vacate Judment of Convictions and Sentences Based on Newly Discovered Evidence
04/11/2012 Exhibit(s)

to Defendant’s Motion to Vacate Judgment of Convictions and Sentences Based on Newly Discovered Evidence

To be continued!

Thank you for sharing!

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Related

Filed Under: Forensics, Miscarriages of Justice, Zeigler Tagged With: Capital Punishment, Faulty Evidence, Prosecutorial Misconduct, William Thomas Zeigler, Wrongful Convictions

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Update on William “Tommy” Zeigler from Defrosting Cold Cases | Wobbly Warrior's Blog says:
    April 13, 2012 at 1:59 pm

    […] via Defrosting Cold Case’s » Blog Archive » Zeigler, Part XIX. […]

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Top Posts & Pages

  • Cold Case Database
  • Who killed Alexander Harris?
  • The 1975 murder of Sharron Prior
  • Anita Mae Carter Lukander (Oct 21, 1965 - March 18, 1988)
  • Missing: Wendy Eaton 

Categories

  • Book Reviews (182)
  • Case of the Month (130)
  • Cold Case News (226)
  • Forensics (287)
  • Guest Bloggers (57)
  • Miscarriages of Justice (131)
  • Missing Persons (127)
  • Unidentified (32)
  • Unsolved (524)
  • Zeigler (65)

Author Notes

Since 2009, I write about unsolved cases that need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigations to the authorities.

My posts cover homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to unsolved cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme, tone, and research. It is my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more.

My databases are free to the public. Cases are sorted by the victim’s last name.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the About page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you cannot find the answers there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Protected by Copyscape

Copyright © 2025 ·News Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress