A double-murderer who had the word ‘killer’ inscribed on his teeth, assaulted his lawyer in court on Monday, June 26.
Joseph Zieler, 61, urged his lawyer, Kevin Shirley, to speak to him after entering court in handcuffs for a pre-sentencing hearing over the murders of an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter.
After leaning in to speak to him, Zieler who was eventually given the death penalty — suddenly caught Shirley in the face with a violent elbow shot, sending him spinning, courtroom video posted on social media shows.
Three court bailiffs immediately subdued Zieler, who was already in restraints, taking him down to the ground before removing him from the courtroom.
The video by Fort Myers News-Press shows that the attorney, who was luckily not hurt, managed to keep his composure and return to his table.
Zieler, 61, carried out the 1990 attack by sneaking into a condominium and finding Robin Cornell, 11, and babysitter Lisa Story, 32, inside.
The child’s mother had gone to her boyfriend’s home for the night and returned to the Cape Coral apartment the following day to find her daughter and Story dead.
The victims had both been sexually assaulted and beaten before being suffocated, prosecutors said.
The case went cold for more than two decades before new DNA evidence tied Zieler to the crime in 2016.
He was already in custody for assaulting his stepson when he was charged with the double-killing.
