The Brief
- A new hearing in the decades-old Zeigler murder case has introduced testimony contradicting key parts of the state’s theory.
- Both sides argue blood evidence supports their version of events, leaving major questions unresolved.
- The court must now decide whether the fresh forensic doubts warrant revisiting a conviction repeatedly upheld over nearly half a century.
ORLANDO, Fla. – A state-hired blood spatter expert offered testimony Wednesday that further complicated the 50-year-old murder case of William “Tommy” Zeigler, the 80-year-old death row inmate accused of killing his wife, her parents and another man on Christmas Eve in 1975.
The expert’s findings, presented in an Orange County courtroom, appeared to conflict with key elements of the state’s long-held theory while she maintained confidence in her analysis as the defense pressed her on the stand.
What we know:…