Joseph Zieler’s trial starts Monday following 1990 homicide

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

A long-awaited trial begins on Monday after a 1990 homicide in Cape Coral.

According to reports, Joseph Zieler has been behind bars for more than six years. But it took police more than 26 years to make an arrest for the deaths of 32-year-old Lisa Story and 11-year-old Robin Cornell.

In 2016, a DNA match connected Zieler to the crime and more than six years later, Zieler remains locked up waiting for the trial.

Cape Coral Police Department. CREDIT: WINK News

WINK News noticed Zieler was recently also charged with tampering with a witness.

Kevin Shirley will represent Zieler in the trial. Two years ago he said a case this old, or cold, presents many challenges.

“The event allegedly occurred in 1990. Many of the witnesses are unavailable, they passed on,” Shirley said. “They’ve moved, we don’t know where they’re at, they have forgotten what they would have testified to 30 years ago. It just makes it a lot more complicated when you’re litigating one of these cold cases.”

The trial begins at 9:30 a.m. on Monday and will begin with jury selection. It’s hard to say how long that will take but WINK News will be in the courtroom providing all the updates.

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