AG Uthmeier Secures Death Sentence for Joseph Zieler
Summary
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Capital Appeals Division secured affirmation of a death sentence for Joseph Zieler at the Florida Supreme Court. Zieler was convicted for the 1990 murder and rape of an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter during a home invasion; he evaded justice for decades until CODIS DNA linked him to the crimes. The affirmation represents one of the first capital sentences under Florida's new death penalty law (SB 450), which reduced the jury threshold from unanimous to a supermajority of eight jurors.
What changed
The Florida Supreme Court affirmed Joseph Zieler's conviction and death sentence for the 1990 murder and rape of an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter during a home invasion. The case marks one of the first capital sentences under Florida's reformed death penalty statute (SB 450), which lowered the required jury recommendation from unanimous to a supermajority of eight out of twelve jurors.
Affected parties include criminal defendants facing capital charges in Florida, who may be subject to sentences under the new supermajority standard. Defense counsel should note this precedent for future capital appeals and cases involving DNA-based convictions after prolonged evasion.
Archived snapshot
Apr 18, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Attorney General James Uthmeier Secures Death Sentence of 1990’s Rapist-Murderer at Florida Supreme Court
View PDF Release Date Apr 17, 2026 Contact Communications Phone (850) 245-0150 TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Capital Appeals Division secured a death sentence for Joseph Zieler for the 1990 murder and rape of an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter during a home invasion. Zieler evaded justice for decades until the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) linked him to his crimes.
“This depraved criminal managed to sleep at night for decades as he evaded justice for the rape and murder of a little girl and her babysitter,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Due to the tireless work of Assistant Attorney General Christina Pacheco, and with support from the Solicitor General’s Office, we affirmed the ultimate form of punishment, and he will never see the outside of a prison cell again.”
The Florida Supreme Court's affirmation of Zieler’s conviction is one of the first capital sentences under Florida’s new death penalty law, Senate Bill (SB) 450, which reformed Florida’s death penalty statutes, reducing the number of jurors needed to recommend capital punishment from unanimous to a supermajority of eight jurors out of twelve. Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 450 into law on April 20, 2023.
Zieler will await his execution in the Florida Department of Corrections.
Email Press@MyFloridaLegal.com
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