Joseph Zieler who raped and killed girl and her babysitter in 1990 elbows his lawyer in court before being sentenced to death by judge
A man who was convicted of murdering an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter in 1990 punched his own attorney and was wrestled to the ground in court Monday.
Joseph Zieler, 61, on Monday was sentenced to death in the slayings of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and her babysitter, Lisa Story, 32, who were raped and suffocated.
While in front of a judge, Zieler asked for the cameras in the room to be taken down before using an expletive and then elbowing attorney Kevin Shirley in the face.
Three bailiffs quickly tackled the man – who appeared to have ‘killer’ etched on his teeth – to the ground before escorting him out of the courtroom within seconds.
In May, a jury in Lee County, Florida recommended the death penalty and Monday’s appearance was to appeal to the judge hours before he gave his sentence.
After the elbow was thrown, Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning asked Shirley if he was okay to which the attorney responded that he had taken harder hits before.
The punch came as Zieler – who was still in handcuffs – appeared to be trying to quietly deliver a message to his long-time counsel.
‘It seemed like he didn’t want our conversation to be picked up by the microphones. So he waved me down and I bent over, and he struck me,’ Shirley told Fox 4.
Branning kept the convicted murderer outside the courtroom for several minutes as he ensured that Shirley was okay after the blow.
The mother of the 11-year-old girl Zieler murdered, Jan Cornell, was in court Monday and watched the incident play out, expressing shock and surprise.
After being dragged back in, the man reportedly growled at the judge and those watching, exposing the word ‘killer’ written on his teeth.
Despite the shocking message inside his mouth, he refused to have relatives speak on his behalf, claiming he is innocent in the crimes.
‘I have nothing to do with this,’ he said. ‘I maintain my innocence.’
Judge Branning ultimately denied a motion Zieler had filed for a new trial and decided not to overturn his conviction.
He was sentenced to death by the judge inside the courtroom several hours later.
Zieler, who was arrested in 2016 – 26 years after the cold case murders – was expected to plead with the judge against the jury’s death recommendation.
After the elbow was thrown, Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning asked Shirley if he was okay to which the attorney responded that he had taken harder hits before.
The punch came as Zieler – who was still in handcuffs – appeared to be trying to quietly deliver a message to his long-time counsel.
‘It seemed like he didn’t want our conversation to be picked up by the microphones. So he waved me down and I bent over, and he struck me,’ Shirley told Fox 4.
Branning kept the convicted murderer outside the courtroom for several minutes as he ensured that Shirley was okay after the blow.
The mother of the 11-year-old girl Zieler murdered, Jan Cornell, was in court Monday and watched the incident play out, expressing shock and surprise.
After being dragged back in, the man reportedly growled at the judge and those watching, exposing the word ‘killer’ written on his teeth.
Despite the shocking message inside his mouth, he refused to have relatives speak on his behalf, claiming he is innocent in the crimes.
‘I have nothing to do with this,’ he said. ‘I maintain my innocence.’
Judge Branning ultimately denied a motion Zieler had filed for a new trial and decided not to overturn his conviction.
He was sentenced to death by the judge inside the courtroom several hours later.
The sentence provides closure to the families who had been searching for justice since they were discovered inside a Cape Coral apartment more than 30 years ago.
Cornell and Story were found beaten, assaulted, and suffocated in May 1990.
In September 2016, police announced that Zieler had been arrested for their killings after police matched his DNA to traces found at the scene.
‘The semen that was found on the bed sheet where Robin was sleeping matches the defendant to a frequency over 1 and 700 billion,’ investigators said during the trial.