Tommy Zeigler, 30 years old at the time, alleged that a group of men broke into the store that night; that Chalie Mays, who was found among the dead at the scene, had been in on it; and that they had shot and bludgeoned his wife and her parents to death, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Zeigler told investigators he fought with the men before being shot during the struggle and returning fire.
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This was the first big case for the lead investigator, Donald Frye, and while the crime scene was complicated, he quickly determined it was a simple case, according to “Monsters of Death Row.” Frye believed Zeigler murdered his wife for the insurance money — the equivalent of about $2.75 million today — and shot himself to cover his tracks, per the book. The case was based on circumstantial evidence, including that all eight guns at the crime scene were allegedly tied to Zeigler, per the Orlando Sentinel. The investigator’s argument relied heavily on one witness. Edward Williams, one of Zeigler’s workers, claimed Zeigler had tried to drag him into the store at gunpoint after the murders but that the gun misfired, and he convinced Zeigler to hand over the pistol, per the Miami Herald. Zeigler alleged Williams was lying and in on the plot to rob the store.
