"After talking to Tommy Zeigler for the period of time that I did and
assessing all of the other information that I had, it was my
professional
opinion that Tommy Zeigler was telling the truth. And that in fact,
he had
walked into probably an armed robbery in progress, or that was staged
for
his benefit, and that he was in fact the victim."
-- John J. Palmatier, Ph.D., Head Examiner for the Michigan State
Police,
who administered a polygraph to Tommy Zeigler for the show Unsolved
Mysteries (1997).
****
"I'd have to vote not guilty at this point."
-- Leigh McEachern, former Chief Deputy Sheriff Orange County
Sheriff's
Office, As to whether Tommy Zeigler is guilty or innocent:
****
"Actually I think the whole complicated case can be condensed as
follows:
Police and prosecutors had to choose between a man whose truck was
found at
the murder scene, who was in the possession of the principal murder
weapon
and whose friend admitted to buying the others, and whose movements
before
and after the crime are unverifiable and highly suspect, and another
who
ended up with a .38 caliber bullet wound in the abdomen -- and they
chose
to make the first their prime witness for the prosecution."
-- Phillip Finch, author - Fatal Flaw: A True Story of Malice and
Murder in
a Small Southern Town
****
"The State Attorney Buried The Original Police Report And Used
Misleading
Sworn Testimony For The Grand Jury And The Trial If the original
police
report had been made available to us as it should have been, Chief
Bobby
Thompson's observation (written within an hour of being at the scene)
that
all the blood on Tommy was dry would have clearly supported Tommy's
innocence. This is a classic example of prosecutorial misconduct and
abuse
of the justice system to mislead and pervert the outcome. This is not
a
search for the true perpetrator. This is an all out effort by the
State to
win a conviction even after finding out as early as the grand jury
stage
that the facts indicate that the wrong man is being charged."
-- Vernon Davids, Defense Co-counsel
****
"Jellison, a tourist at the motel behind the Zeigler store, told the
State
Attorneys investigators that at 8:30 pm he saw a policeman, gun
drawn,
hunkered down behind the store. At 9:00 he heard shots. The State
Attorney
hid the tape of the interview until after the time expired for
admitting
evidence in Zeigler's case."
-- Unsolved Mysteries (1997)
****
