Tommy Zeigler: Florida: DNA denied. Podcast: I have been following his quest to survive death row and be exonerated for years. In Part Five of the podcast 'blood and truth' - from Pulitzer Prize winner Leonora LaPeter Anton - Zeigler learns about new forensics and pushes to have the evidence in his case tested.

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I adopt the words of the formidable Ohio criminal defence lawyer/blogger  Jeff Gamso..."JUST TEST THE FUCKING DNA."
 http://gamso-forthedefense.blogspot.com/2018/05/what-is-truth-said-jesting-pilate.html

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GIST: Despite multiple pleas from appeals attorneys, Florida keeps fighting requests...January 22, 2019.  Tommy Zeigler learns about new forensics and pushes to have the evidence in his case tested.

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Listen to the podcast  - from Pulitzer Prize winner Leonora LaPeter Anton - at the link below:

https://www.tampabay.com/narratives/2019/01/22/blood-and-truth-podcast-chapter-five-dna-

 

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See the wikipedia entry on Tommy Zeigler at the link below:  Tommy Zeigler case refers to the murders of four people in Winter Garden, Florida on December 24, 1975, in which thirty-year-old Tommy Zeigler was charged for the quadruple murder of his wife, her parents, and another man at his family owned furniture store. He was tried, and convicted on July 2, 1976. Zeigler was sentenced to death for two of the murders, in addition to life imprisonment.^[1] On July 2, 1976, thirty-year-old Tommy Zeigler was convicted of the quadruple murder of his wife, Eunice Zeigler, and her parents, Perry and Virginia Edwards, as well as a customer named Charlie Mays at his furniture store in Winter Garden, Florida on December 24, 1975. Zeigler, who was wounded by a gunshot to his abdomen, and charged while in a hospital days after the murders, was given the death penalty for the murders of his wife and Mays, and life imprisonment for the murders of his wife's parents. According to the prosecution, Zeigler's motive for the murders was two life insurance policies of $500,000 in total, which were taken out on his wife months prior to the murders. The prosecution claimed that he shot himself in an attempt to make it look like Mays and two men named Edward Williams and Felton Thomas, who would both testify against Zeigler, were the perpetrators of a robbery that ended in the murders of Eunice Zeigler and her parents.^[1] Due to publicity, the trial was moved to Jacksonville, Florida.^[2] Five guns were found at the scene; approximately 30 bullets had been fired inside the store. In addition, a metal crank was used to bludgeon Perry Edwards and Charlie Mays to death.^[3] Since the murders, Zeigler has maintained that he was a victim of a botched robbery attempt, and that Charlie Mays was involved.^[4] As recent as 2015, Zeigler believes that his brother-in-law, Perry Edwards, Jr., was the person that orchestrated the murders.^[5] The case against Zeigler, and his trial, has been the subject of criticism by many, including civil rights activist Bianca Jagger, and a juror who voted to convict Zeigler.^[6][4] Among the criticized points was the judge who oversaw the trial, Maurice M. Paul; months prior to the murders, both Zeigler and Judge Paul testified in an unrelated case on opposing sides.^[2] Although the jury at Zeigler's trial recommended life imprisonment, Judge Paul instead sentenced Zeigler to death.^[4]  At Zeigler's trial, one of the key eyewitnesses for the prosecution, Felton Thomas, testified that on the night of the murders, he, Zeigler and Charlie Mays drove to an orange grove to fire some guns. The prosecution believed that this was a plan from Zeigler to get their fingerprints on the guns. In 2013, however, Thomas recanted parts of his testimony.^[7]  In 2011, Zeigler's private investigator, Lynn-Marie Carty, located a new eyewitness named Robert Foster, who, on the night of the murders, attempted to rob a gas station across the street from the Zeigler Furniture Store. Don Frye, the lead investigator on the case, had lied about Foster, saying his name was a typographical error.^[8]  Zeigler was scheduled to be executed on October 22, 1982. However, the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville stayed the execution due to new evidence. Zeigler was then scheduled to be executed on May 20, 1986. The execution was stayed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal due to inadequate representation.^[9] In April 1988, Zeigler's death sentence was overturned.^[10] Zeigler was re-sentenced and again given the death penalty.^[2]  In 2005, Zeigler's request for a new trial was denied after DNA tests failed to conclude that Charlie Mays was the perpetrator.^[4]  Zeigler's case was denied bloodstain DNA analysis in 2013 and 2016.^[11][12]  In April 2017, Zeigler's case was denied Touch DNA analysis.^[13]  Zeigler's case was featured on television program, Unsolved Mysteries.^[14]  A documentary entitled "A Question of Innocence" was released in 2014 about Zeigler's case, and the death penalty in the United States.^[15]  In 1992, a book was released by Phillip Finch on Zeigler's case, entitled Fatal Flaw: A True Story of Malice and Murder in a Small Southern Town.^["

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Zeigler_case: "Tommy Zeigler has been on death row for 42 years and for more than half that time, he’s been trying to convince the state of Florida to allow for DNA tests that might help exonerate him. But the state continually refuses. About 20 other men are in a similar situation, imprisoned in Florida since the 1970s or ’80s and arguing that it’s inherently unfair to deny them access to 21st century science. Leonora LaPeter Anton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, and photographer Cherie Diez have followed the case for years. In 2018, they traveled around Florida and into Georgia to interview dozens of people, some involved in the police work or prosecution, others who believe in Zeigler’s innocence. 

 

See the web-site for the series  - with links to all episodes - at the link below:

 https://art19.com/shows/blood-and-truth

 

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;