Convicted murderer elbows own lawyer in the face before being sentenced to death for 1990 cold-case killings

A convicted murderer elbowed his own attorney in the face just hours before court proceedings saw him sentenced to death for the murder of a young girl and her babysitter in 1990, the Daily Mail reported.

Joseph Zieler is a 61-year-old man who was convicted for the murder of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and her babysitter, 32-year-old Lisa Story, in 1990. Both victims were reportedly raped and suffocated during the Cape Coral, Florida, crime.

While in court, Zieler reportedly asked for cameras in the room to be taken down as he called his lawyer over to seemingly discuss something. When his lawyer came close, Zieler wound up his body and delivered an elbow to the attorney's nose and eye region.

Three bailiffs tackled Zieler as cameras revealed the word "killer" was etched into his teeth. The judge kept the convict outside of the courtroom for several minutes to ensure the lawyer didn't need medical treatment.

"I'm fine," attorney Kevin Shirley responded after. "I used to box, I used to take a lot better shots than that," he added.

"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 outlet Fox 4 later on.

When Zieler returned to the courtroom, he reportedly growled at the judge and the other viewers.

A Florida jury recommended in May 2023 that Zieler receive the death penalty for his more than 30-year-old crime. The man was arrested 26 years after the crimes when the cold case had a breakthrough. Police said that they had matched Zieler's DNA to evidence that was found at the scene.

Particularly, "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 reportedly said during the trial.

However, Zieler maintained his innocence and even refused to have his relatives speak on his behalf.

"I have nothing to do with this," he said. "I maintain my innocence."

Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning denied a motion from Zieler to have a new trial and did not overturn the death penalty conviction.

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