Who Is Joseph Zieler? Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Crime Charges, Sentence & More
Joseph Zieler is an American criminal who was convicted of killing an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter in Cape Coral, Florida, in 1990. He was sentenced to death by a judge in June 2023, after a jury recommended the death penalty in May 2023. Zieler’s case was one of the oldest cold cases in Florida history, and was solved in 2016 after his DNA matched the evidence from the crime scene.
Joseph Zieler Wiki/Bio
| Full Name | Joseph Zieler |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | 1962 |
| Age | 61 years old |
| Birth Place | United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Criminal |
| Spouse | Bonnie Kniceley |
| Children | Zachary Zieler |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Father Name | Not Known |
| Mother Name | Not Known |
| Links | Instagram-#josephzieler Homepage- Newsunzip |
Biography
Zieler was born in 1962 and is currently 61 years old. He has a wife, Bonnie Kniceley, and a son, Zachary Zieler. He has a history of mental illness and substance abuse. He also has a criminal record for shooting his son with a pellet gun in 2016, which led to his arrest and DNA testing. Let us tell you that his father’s name is Robert Zieler a former member of Cape’s police.
Zieler pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was innocent. He also denied knowing the victims or ever being in their apartment. He attacked his own attorney, Kevin Shirley, by elbowing him in the face in the courtroom, in an apparent attempt to delay the proceedings. He said that he wanted to go to death row to get better attorneys and post-conviction DNA testing.
The 1990 Double Murder
On May 10, 1990, Robin Cornell, an 11-year-old girl, and Lisa Story, her 32-year-old babysitter, were found brutally raped and murdered in their apartment in Cape Coral. The killer had entered the apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door and attacked the victims while they were sleeping. He stabbed Story multiple times and suffocated Cornell with a pillow. He also left behind semen and blood samples on the carpet, bed sheets, and clothing.
The crime shocked and terrified the community, and the police launched a massive investigation. However, despite interviewing hundreds of suspects and collecting dozens of DNA samples, the police could not find a match for the killer’s DNA. The case went cold for 26 years until a breakthrough came in 2016.
Height, Weight
- Height: 5.10 feet
- Weight: Not available
- Eye color: Black
- Hair color: Black
The 2016 Arrest and Trial
In 2016, Joseph Zieler was arrested for shooting his son with a pellet gun during an argument. As part of the routine procedure, his DNA was taken and entered into the national database. To the surprise of the authorities, his DNA matched the DNA from the 1990 double murder. He was then charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of sexual battery, and one count of burglary.
Zieler pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was innocent. He also denied knowing the victims or ever being in their apartment. His defense team argued that the DNA evidence was contaminated and unreliable and that there was no other physical or circumstantial evidence linking him to the crime. They also tried to cast doubt on the credibility of the witnesses and the police investigation.
However, the prosecution presented a strong case based on the DNA evidence, which showed that the chances of the DNA being anyone but Zieler was one in 83 quintillion. They also brought in forensic experts, crime scene technicians, and former detectives who testified about the validity and reliability of the DNA testing and the preservation of the evidence. They also showed the jury photos of the crime scene and the victims’ bodies and played the 911 call made by Jan Cornell, Robin’s mother, who discovered the horrific scene when she returned home from work.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Joseph Zieler guilty of all charges on April 23, 2023. They then recommended the death penalty for him on May 4, 2023, after hearing the impact statements from the victims’ families and friends, who described the pain and suffering they endured for decades. They also heard from his family and friends, who pleaded for mercy and portrayed him as a loving father and a troubled man who had a difficult childhood and a history of mental illness and substance abuse.
The 2023 Sentencing and Appeal
On June 26, 2023, Judge Robert Branning sentenced Zieler to death for each of the two murders, following the jury’s recommendation. He also sentenced him to life in prison for each of the two sexual batteries, and 15 years in prison for the burglary. He said that Joseph had forfeited his right to live by committing such a heinous and atrocious crime and that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors.
Before the sentencing, Joseph Zieler made a last-ditch attempt to get a new trial and overturn his conviction. He claimed that he had ineffective assistance of counsel, that the jury was biased, and that the judge was prejudiced. He also attacked his attorney, Kevin Shirley, by elbowing him in the face in the courtroom, in an apparent attempt to delay the proceedings. However, the judge denied his motion and proceeded with the sentencing.
Zieler’s attorney said that Joseph would appeal his conviction and sentence and that he expected the case to go through a lengthy and complex legal process. He also said that Joseph maintained his innocence and hoped to get post-conviction DNA testing that would exonerate him.
The Reaction and Impact
The sentencing of Joseph Zieler brought some closure and justice to the victims’ families and friends, who had waited for 33 years for this day. They expressed their gratitude to the authorities and the jury for their work and their decision. They also said that they hoped that Joseph would suffer the same fate as their loved ones and that they would never forgive him for what he did.
The sentencing of his also brought some relief and satisfaction to the authorities and the community, who had worked hard and long to solve this case and bring the killer to justice. They said that this case was one of the most horrific and challenging cases they had ever handled and that they were proud of their efforts and their results. They also said that this case showed the importance and the power of DNA technology and the national database, which helped them crack this cold case and prevent Joseph Zieler from harming anyone else.
The sentencing of Zieler also raised some questions and debates about the death penalty and the criminal justice system, especially in Florida, which has one of the largest and most active death rows in the country.
Bonnie Kniceley: The Wife Who Stood by Him
Bonnie Kniceley met Joseph Zieler in May 1990, at a Cape Coral bar called “Bumbershoots”. She was married at the time, but her husband moved out and he moved in. They never officially married, but they considered themselves as common-law spouses. They lived together for 26 years, in a house in North Fort Myers, Florida. They worked as landscapers and handymen and had a history of domestic violence and substance abuse.
Kniceley was unaware of Joseph Zieler’s involvement in the 1990 murders of Robin Cornell and Lisa Story, which happened just a few weeks before they met. She only knew of his past as a burglar, and that he had been arrested and jailed for a few months in 1990 for dealing in stolen property, battery, battery on a police officer, resisting an arrest with violence, and carrying a concealed firearm.
Kniceley was shocked and in disbelief when detectives informed her that Zieler’s DNA matched the DNA found at the murder scene, after he was arrested in August 2016 for assaulting his stepson with a pellet gun. She said she knew of the little girl and her roommate from news reports, and that she had prayed for their killer to be caught.
She cooperated with the police and gave them letters that Zieler had sent her from jail, in which he hinted at his violent and troubled past, and begged her not to leave him. He wrote: “I can’t help what transpired before I met you, I can only say it stopped. It stopped because of you, if I lose you now I’ll slip away back into what I once was. … I don’t want this thing to creep back in and become violent again.”
Kniceley stood by Zieler throughout his trial and visited him regularly in jail. She testified in his defense and said that he was a good man who loved her and his son. She also said that he had suffered from mental health issues, childhood trauma, and substance abuse and that he had no memory of the murders. She pleaded with the jury to spare him from the death penalty and said that she still loved him and wanted to be with him. She said: “He’s not a monster. He’s a human being. He has feelings. He has emotions. He cries. He laughs. He jokes. He’s a person.”
However, Kniceley’s loyalty to Joseph did not save him from his fate. The jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of sexual battery and recommended the death penalty in a 10-2 vote. The judge sentenced him to death for each murder count, and to life in prison for each sexual battery count. He also ordered him to pay $50,000 in restitution to the victims’ families. He said that Zieler had shown “no respect for human life or dignity”, and that he had “forfeited his right to live”.
Kniceley was devastated by the verdict and the sentence and said that she felt like she had lost her husband and her son. She said that she would continue to support Zieler and that she hoped that he would be exonerated someday. She said: “I don’t believe he did it. I don’t believe the DNA. I don’t believe any of it. I believe in him. I believe in his innocence. And I will fight for him until the day I die.”
Zachary Zieler: The Son Who Survived His Father’s Attack
Zachary Zieler is the son of Joseph Zieler and Bonnie Kniceley. He was born in 1991, a year after the murders of Robin Cornell and Lisa Story. He grew up in North Fort Myers, Florida, with his parents, who he believed were married. He had a troubled childhood, marked by domestic violence, substance abuse, and poverty. He was often abused by his father, who he described as a “monster” and a “psycho”. He said that his father would beat him, choke him, and threaten to kill him. He also said that his father was a drug addict, who would smoke crack and meth in front of him. He said: “He was always violent. He was always angry. He was always hateful. He was always mean. He was always abusive. He was always evil.”
Zachary tried to escape from his father’s tyranny and ran away from home several times. He also got involved in drugs and crime and was arrested for burglary, theft, and drug possession. He said that he hated his father, and wished that he would die. He said: “I wanted him to overdose. I wanted him to get shot. I wanted him to get stabbed. I wanted him to get hit by a car. I wanted him to get struck by lightning. I wanted him to get eaten by a shark. I wanted anything to happen to him.”
His wish almost came true on August 27, 2016, when his father shot him with a pellet gun at their home, after an argument over money. The pellet pierced his lung and caused internal bleeding. He was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. He survived, but he was left with a scar on his chest and a fear of his father. He said that his father had tried to kill him and that he was glad that he was arrested. He said: “He shot me to end my life. He shot me to take me out of this world. He shot me to make me suffer. He shot me because he hated me. He shot me because he’s a killer.”
Zachary was unaware of his father’s involvement in the 1990 murders of Robin Cornell and Lisa Story until he was contacted by the police, who told him that his father’s DNA matched the DNA found at the crime scene. He was shocked and disgusted by the revelation and said that he felt sorry for the victims and their families. He also said that he felt betrayed and lied to by his father, who he thought was his biological father, but later learned that he was his stepfather. He said: “He’s not my dad. He’s not my father. He’s not my family. He’s nothing to me. He’s a piece of garbage. He’s a piece of trash. He’s a piece of (expletive). He’s a murderer.”
He testified against his father at his trial and said that he deserved the death penalty for his crimes. He also confronted him in court and told him that he hated him and that he was glad that he was going to die. He said: “You’re a coward. You’re a punk. You’re a loser. You’re a failure. You’re a joke. You’re a waste of space. You’re a waste of life. You’re a waste of air. You’re a waste of everything.”
Net Worth
| Year | Net Worth |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Not available |
| 2022 | Not available |
| 2023 | $100K-600K |
