"Christmas is a time of hope, but hope of freedom may be all but gone for a former Winter Garden businessman. Christmas Eve marks the 40th anniversary of the brutal murders that sent Tommy Zeigler to death row. Zeigler is awaiting a death warrant
for the Christmas Eve, 1975, murders inside his furniture store. His
wife, Eunice, her parents, Perry and Virginia Edwards, and customer
Charlie Mays were shot. The men were beaten. Zeigler claimed he was shot
by The state won a conviction, alleging Zeigler did it to collect on his wife's insurance policies. "I
was sentenced to death, and I fully expect that to be carried out,
unless we can get this evidence into court and approved," Zeigler said. Zeigler
has been granted a hearing, likely in February, to argue for re-testing
of DNA on some of his and the victims' clothing, believing modern
science will prove he's not the killer. It's something that state
attorney Jeff Ashton aims to fight. "This is never going to end. If Mr. Zeigler got every DNA test he asked for, he'd find something else to ask for," Ashton said.........Connie
Crawford, Zeigler's cousin, said she is never giving up on what she
calls a journey for justice. Crawford was photographed in the newspaper
with Zeigler shortly after the murders. She urges people to read the
mountain of information on websites that claim the state bungled
evidence then and is covering it up now. "If the state wants to lie, they can lie," Crawford said. "I think they just don't want to lose the case."
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Bulletin: Tommy Zeigler: Florida; 40th anniversary of murders that sent Winter Garden man to death row: Tommy Zeigler convicted of murdering wife, three others. He has been granted a hearing likely in February, to argue for re-testing of DNA on some of his and the victims' clothing, believing modern science will prove he's not the killer. WESH Home
