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No bond for suspect in double homicide

By Staff | Sep 30, 2016

A judge denied bond for a man accused in a 26-year-old double homicide that included a girl.

Joseph Adam Zieler, 54, of 314 Byron Ave., North Fort Myers, had his first appearance on Thursday.

“He’s being held on no bond,” Tiffany Wood, with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, said.

No bond was set for the charges of sexual assault by 18 years of age or older sexual battery victim under 12 years of age and sexual assault with weapon or force sexual battery victim 12 years of age or older, nor was it set on the two counts of homicide murder while engaged in certain felony offense.

She noted that a $500,000 bond was set for a fifth charge of burglary with assault or battery.

On Wednesday, Cape Coral police announced that Zieler had been arrested and charged in the 1990 murder and rape of Robin Cornell, 11, and Lisa Story, 32, at their residence, at 631 S.E. 12th Ave.

“Over the last 26 years, this case has never been without an assigned investigator,” Cape Police Chief David Newlan said during a news conference. “This arrest is a culmination of 26 years of work.”

On May 10, 1990, the bodies of Robin and Story were found in their Courtyards apartment by Robin’s mother, Jan Cornell. Both of the victims had been suffocated and sexually assaulted, police reported.

The night before, Cornell’s new roommate, Story, had agreed to watch Robin while she visited with her boyfriend. When Cornell returned home the next morning, she heard footsteps inside her apartment.

Upon entering, Cornell found an ironing board open with pictures of her daughter laid out.

According to police, Cornell ran upstairs and discovered Story’s lifeless body in her bed. Cornell then ran to Robin’s room, where she found her daughter’s naked body lying on the floor of the bedroom.

Items were taken from the home, like a Seiko watch that was a gift from Cornell to her boyfriend.

An unknown set of Toyota keys, with an Etienne Aigner logo on the keychain, was left behind.

Over the years, the crime was featured three times on “America’s Most Wanted.”

Newlan reported that last week, Cape detectives were notified of a recent arrestee in the Lee County Jail who matched the DNA sample recovered from the crime scene. Zieler was interviewed and a body sample was taken. Within days, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed the matches.

An arrest warrant was obtained and Zieler was charged with the five counts on Tuesday.

“We know we have what we feel is a prosecutable case,” State Attorney Stephen Russell said.

“I hope that this case sends a message,” he added.

Cornell was present for Wednesday’s press conference with Story’s sister, Susan Gibson.

“For 26 years, I just dreamt about this day,” she said, adding that she never gave up hope, despite the ups and downs. “I wasn’t going to let it defeat me. I knew if I never stopped, something would happen.”

“We all know miracles exist,” Cornell added.

Asked about her daughter, she described Robin as “amazing, energetic, beautiful, smart.”

“She loved life,” Cornell said.

According to documents, Zieler was arrested in Lee County two months after the murders for battery and battery on law enforcement officer firefighter. Those charges were dropped. He was found guilty of carrying a concealed firearm, dealing trafficking in stolen property and resisting officer with violence.

Zieler’s only arrest after that was for possession of marijuana, which was nolle processed.

Until last month. On Aug. 27, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to Lee Memorial Hospital for a shooting victim, identified as Zachary Zieler, 25. He had sustained a gunshot or pellet gun wound.

An investigation revealed that Zachary Zieler and his father, Zieler, became engaged in a physical altercation and Zieler armed himself with a pellet gun. At one point, he aimed it at his son and fired the weapon. Zachary’s girlfriend drove him to the hospital when he said he was not able to breathe.

Zachary was listed in critical condition at the time, according to LCSO documents. The investigators noted that Zachary had to be intubated due to the projectile damaging his heart and or his artery.

Zieler was arrested and charged with aggravated battery person uses a deadly weapon.

CCPD officials reported that under a 2009 law, anyone in Florida arrested for a felony will have their DNA taken and compared to CODIS. Zieler’s DNA matched up to the 1990 sample in the database.

“It was surreal,” Detective Christy Jo Ellis said. “Something that we always hoped for.”

Working the Cornell-Story case since 2009, she received the call from FDLE on the match up.

“To get that phone call was just off the charts,” Ellis said.

Asked if Zieler admitted to the crimes during the questioning, the answer was no.

“He did not,” she said. “He invoked his rights and wanted a lawyer.”

Still, Ellis hopes that this provides new hope to families dealing with their own unsolved cases.

“The system works,” she said.

“This is about people not giving up,” Ellis added.

She called the arrest closure for those affected, but wished she could offer more.

“What we have is phenomenal,” she said. “But to have the history, the story – the why.”

As of Thursday, Zieler was being held at the Lee County Jail.

His son’s condition was unknown as he was not listed in LMHS’ patient directory.

While the arrest has been made and the case is now pending adjudication, CCPD detectives still want to talk to anyone who knew Zieler back in the 1990s or who might have any information about him in general.

If you have any information, contact Sgt. Bennet Walker at 239-242-3319.

Zieler’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 31.