Florida Attorney General meets rejection after effort to block Zeigler DNA testing

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency attraction from Attorney General Ashley Moody’s workplace to cease DNA testing of proof within the case of Tommy Zeigler, who has lived on Florida’s loss of life row for greater than 46 years.

In December, attorneys for Zeigler shipped greater than 100 gadgets to a DNA testing firm in California a day after an Orlando circuit decide authorized the evaluation at Zeigler’s expense. But they confronted opposition from Moody’s workplace, which sought to cease the testing and return the proof.

On Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court refused Moody’s emergency request however didn’t say why.

“This means that we can proceed expeditiously with the testing,” wrote Zeigler’s longtime lawyer, Terry Hadley, in an electronic mail. “Conceivably, the AG’s office could continue to pursue the appeal, but the ruling is a clear signal that they are not likely to succeed.”

Zeigler is accused of killing his spouse, in-laws and one other man at his household’s Winter Garden furnishings retailer on Christmas Eve 1975. The 77-year-old, who was shot within the abdomen that evening, has at all times maintained his innocence.

The Times coated his decades-long effort to safe testing in a sequence and podcast known as Blood and Truth.

The proof consists of never-before-tested fingernail clippings, weapons and garments of Zeigler and all of the victims. Zeigler’s legal professionals say that if he murdered 4 folks, their blood ought to be on his garments.

Moody’s legal professionals argued in filings that launch of the proof for testing would hurt the state, the general public and victims — “all of whom are entitled to finality.”

Zeigler’s legal professionals first sought early DNA testing in 1994. The testing was granted in 2001, and the outcomes appeared to assist Zeigler’s declare of innocence. Forensic exams on 4 small squares of Zeigler’s plaid trousers and corduroy shirt failed to detect his murdered members of the family’ blood.

But that was not thought of sufficient.

When Zeigler’s legal professionals requested, starting in 2003, to additional analyze Zeigler’s outfit and later to use contact DNA exams, Florida prosecutors and judges refused. They stated the testing wouldn’t robotically exonerate Zeigler, as required by Florida’s 2001 DNA testing regulation. They pointed to witnesses, together with Zeigler’s handyman, who advised jurors that Zeigler tried to shoot him.

Then Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique H. Worrell was elected. Worrell, one in all only a couple progressive state attorneys in Florida, signed agreements with Zeigler and one other longtime loss of life row inmate, Henry Sireci, to conduct DNA testing months after she took workplace in 2020.

Judges in each instances authorized these agreements with Worrell, permitting the testing.

The lawyer basic’s appeals stopped the testing for greater than two years.

Late Thursday, a spokesperson for the workplace stated that the attraction was nonetheless pending and there could be no additional remark.

“The court has rejected the last ditch attempt by the attorney general to stop testing,” stated one in all Zeigler’s New York attorneys, David Michaeli, on Thursday. “So what is the purpose of maintaining an appeal challenging the right to do testing? Testing is going to happen either way. So what exactly are we fighting about?”