Unresolved Issues that Suggest Zeigler Was Framed
 

How did Judge Paul happen to draw the Zeigler case, and why didn’t he voluntarily recuse himself?

Why did Judge Paul agree to serve as a character witness in the Andrew James case six month before the murders, especially since the Code of Judicial Conduct expressly prohibits this? What is the current status of the James owned bar?

 Was there any previous relationship between Paul and Chief Robert Thompson since both had been employed by the state of Florida?

How did the city of Oakland with a population of less than 1000 afford to hire Chief Thompson a year or so before the murders and why did he resign during the Zeigler trial?

Why did Thompson deliver a special Christmas basket to Charlie Mays and how did they know one another?

Thompson was apparently the source of the stories about Zeigler being homosexual. Did he have anything to do with the story about Mays’ pants being pulled down when he was found?

Why did Thompson and Patrolman and later WG chief of police, Jimmy Yawn have a meeting across from the furniture store at about the time Zeigler and Edward Williams arrived at the store?

Did Yawn have some kind of grudge against Zeigler because Yawn broke his foot kicking Zeigler when they were growing up. What was Yawn doing behind the WG Inn when he got the call about Zeigler being alive? Could Yawn have been the source of some of the scurrilous things that were said about Zeigler’s childhood?

Why would Charlie Mays park his van behind a six foot fence if he was there to buy a TV set according to Thomas?

Thomas’ story that Zeigler drove up beside them while they were parked behind the fence would mean that Zeigler had to know they were there. How did Zeigler know?

The trial testimony was that Charlie Mays was killed after the blood from Perry Edwards had dried. If Mays was not one of the killers, what explains the blood of Perry Edwards being soaked thru the lower legs of his pants? His body was at least 15 feet from Edwards, there were no blood steps between them, and if he had somehow stumbled into a pool of semi-coagulated blood, it would not have soaked thru his pants.

Is there any innocent explanation for the fact that Edward Williams pants were not turned over to the defense in time for testing for gun shot residue to be done before the trial?

Is there any innocent explanation for the fact that the testimony of Jon Jellison that he saw a policeman with gun drawn behind the WG Inn before he heard shots coming from the direction of the furniture store was withheld from the defense for many years after the trial?

Is there any innocent explanation for the prosecution resisting DNA testing for many years, and then arguing that parts of Zeigler’s shirt not tested might prove their theory since the spots that were tested disproved their theory, but arguing against the actual testing of the areas that weren’t tested?

Is there any innocent explanation for FSC judge Charles Wells participating in the Zeigler decisions when he had knowledge of the case prior to his appointment and he was reminded of that before the recent FSC hearing?

What does it say about our system of justice if procedural rules can bar a court from hearing evidence that came to light after a man’s conviction. This applies to the testimony of Jon Jellison as well as the testimony of Ken and Linda Roach who saw cars in front of the furniture store and heard gun shots that would prove Zeigler’s innocence.

What would have been the natural conclusion if Tommy Zeigler had died of his wounds that night?
How likely is it that a right handed man could shoot himself in the right side with a high powered pistol that was not braced against his skin and be assured he was not committing suicide.
If Zeigler had wanted his wife murdered, why shoot her himself when he had knowledge of people in Winter Garden involved in illegal activity?  Why shoot her in the middle of the business district?  Why shoot four people if he only wanted to kill one?  Why do it at the furniture store and put his family’s business and his parent’s livelihood in jeopardy?
If Zeigler killed his wife for insurance money, why did he buy the policies in town?  Why wait until shortly before the “planned” murder?  Why did Zeigler previously drop a $50,000 policy on Eunice?  (Insurance was bought on Eunice and an additional amount was added on Tommy after Mr. Zeigler, Sr. had a stroke earlier in 1975 and Tommy and Eunice became the principal officers in the business.  They were advised to do this by an attorney who has testified to this fact.  They also made wills then for the first time.)
If Zeigler was planning murder that night, why did he offer to swap cars with Curtis Dunaway knowing that Dunaway’s car was having mechanical trouble, was unreliable, and was making a noise which would draw attention to it?
If Eunice was planning to leave Tommy that holiday as the state contends: Why had she not packed any of her clothing?  Why did her activities follow the normal routine—taking one of their cats to the vet  (Zeigler stopped home that afternoon to see how the cat fared), visiting with Mr. Zeigler, Sr., shopping with her parents, baking a cake and making other preparations for Christmas dinner?  Why did she talk to the neighbors the weekend before about additions she and Tommy were planning to make to the house?  Why did she just a week or so before select a kitten from the litter of a friend’s cat to raise after it was weaned?
Why, if the Edwardses were planning to take Eunice back home with them, did Mrs. Edwards tell Mrs. Zeigler, Sr. that they intended during their visit to ask Tommy to be the executor of their will?  Why were they out Christmas shopping that day?  If they thought Tommy was a danger to Eunice, why would they allow her to go to the furniture with him and go there themselves?
Why, if Zeigler was in need of money, was he able to raise over $350,000 cash for trial expenses?  Why did he stay around when out on bond for two months?
Why were Edward Williams’ prints not on the gun he turned in?  Why did his pants not have gun residue, and why did they smell of fresh laundering?
Why did both Williams and Thomas wait several hours before going to the police, and then why did they go to the police in Orlando instead of the police in Winter Garden?
Why did Williams wait three months before telling police that he had obtained guns for Zeigler?
Why, if Williams truck was in the Zeigler driveway between 7:30 and 8:15 p.m., did neighbors of the Zeiglers see only Tommy’s truck in the driveway during that time?
Why didn’t either Williams or Thomas say they saw blood on Zeigler’s clothes if he has already murdered three or four people by the time he was with them? Why would they, or Mays, go with a man who had blood on his clothes? The lighting in the Zeigler garage [where Williams says he sat watching Zeigler from his truck] was very bright since the Zeiglers used the garage to groom their show cats. Chief Thompson’s report said the blood on Zeigler looked like it had been painted on, there was so much. Even if they didn’t see it, he would have reeked with an odor.

How could there have been a jaw tooth on Mays’ parka that did not belong to Tommy Zeigler, Mays or any of the victims?  (Could this belong to the man “holed up” in Oakland with a bullet in his shoulder that Nathaniel Brown had talked about?)
Why were there Negroid hairs on the north wall of the store where Zeigler says he fought for his life?
Why were there cat hairs and glitter consistent with cat hairs and Christmas glitter from the Zeigler home found on Mays’ feet?  (Eunice’s purse was found on the couch at home lying open with money missing—did someone carry it from the store to the Zeigler home, perhaps to use the keys into the house?)
Why was there a large amount of gunshot residue on both the palms and backs of Mays’ hands?
Why was there no gunshot residue on Zeigler’s trousers if he had fired 28 shots?
Why was there an expended cartridge found in the store that did not match with any of the guns used in the crime?
Why, if Mays’ feet were covered in blood, weren’t any of his shoeprints found in the store?
If the Roaches and a state witness heard shots around 7:30 p.m., why didn’t Felton Thomas say he heard them if he and Mays were sitting in a van within 20’ of the back of the furniture store?  And why didn’t Thomas hear the shots that killed Charlie Mays?
How could Edward Williams have seen Tommy Zeigler holding a gun in the back of the store when there were no lights on?  Tests conducted revealed that it was impossible to recognize a person in the back of the darkened store let alone see what was in his hand.
If Tommy Zeigler hugged Williams as Williams said, then why was there no blood on Williams’ clothes?
Why didn’t either Williams or Thomas say they saw blood on Zeigler’s clothes if he has already murdered three people by the time he was with them?  Why would they go with a man who had blood on his clothes?
Why would Williams linger in the parking lot to urinate, as he told police, when there was a bathroom just inside at the end of the hallway?  Williams was comfortable at the store as he had helped to build it and had keys to it.
With all of the running around that Williams claims he did that night, why were the soles of his shoes not scuffed and why was the price tag still on the bottom of them?
Why does the man who worked at the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant where Williams went to use the phone describe the clothes of the man who used the phone as different than those turned into police by Williams?  Why does that employee claim that he later saw the man who used the phone standing outside of the furniture store and that the man denied having used the phone to call the police?
Why did Williams tell the two women who gave him a ride to the service station to pick up his car that “a white man” tried to shoot him if it was Tommy Zeigler who had tried to shoot him whom he had known for years and whose name was well known in the community?
Why if the store was already completely dark, as Thomas says, did the man he believed to be Tommy Zeigler tell him to throw the breaker?  (If the breaker had been on there would have been light coming from a clock that lit up the whole office area.)  When detectives went into the dark store that night, they found several light switches in the “on” position…this corroborates Zeigler’s story as to how the lights were left at the end of the workday.  It also indicates that the lights were on when the breaker switch was turned off, which contradicts Thomas’ testimony.
Why did Thomas say Zeigler said he was going to crack a window to get in the store when the store windows had bars on them?  And if Zeigler was ramming something into the back of the store, as Thomas said, why were there no marks to that effect?
What became of two $20 bills that Mr. Zeigler, Sr. had given to Eunice earlier, and what became of Eunice’s two diamond rings and watch that she was wearing?  Why was there no money on Mr. and Mrs. Edwards or Eunice?
Why was there Negroid head hair, consistent with the hair of both Thomas and Williams, on the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards and Mays?  Why was there Caucasian hair on Mays that matched none of the victims or Zeigler?
Why did the clothes Tommy Zeigler was wearing that night not fit the description of the white man’s clothes that Felton Thomas described?
Why, if Edward Williams had run across the street from the store to the Kentucky Fried Chicken to use the phone to call the police immediately after he says Zeigler tried to shoot him, did the Nolans testify that AFTER they watched Tommy Zeigler being taken to the hospital they saw a black man come to the restaurant to use the phone?  (There is no record of that call…Williams says he did not get through.)  According to the state’s theory, during that time period Zeigler would have had to attempt to shoot Williams, move Williams truck (it was not found where Williams claimed he left it), wipe it clean of his fingerprints, bend a prong on the gate, go back into the store, call Ted VanDeventer, shoot himself in the abdomen, wait for the police to arrive, be examined by Chief Thompson and carried to his car, and be driven away.  Indeed, if the Nolans were telling the truth (and no one has suggested they were anything other than independent witnesses), then the logical conclusion is that Zeigler was shot before Williams left the store.  In his final chapter of FATAL FLAW, author Phillip Finch shows how this testimony alone considered with the police log which shows the timing of the events proves Zeigler’s innocence.
If the jurors were sure of Zeigler’s guilt, why does one say the six who first felt he was innocent were “persuaded?”  Why does Irma Brickel say she was “pressured”?  Why did it take only 20 minutes deliberation for the jury to unanimously recommend a life sentence?  (A juror told me they gave a life sentence so that if something came up later that he could still prove his innocence.  Is that a belief in guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?  Did they all feel Zeigler had to prove his innocence?) [Addition: In 2004 Juror Peggy Dollinger signed an affidavit stating that based on the evidence she has seen since the trial she now believes Zeigler is innocent.]