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00:00Do you believe you heard the killer coming down the stairs as you were trying to get into the
00:08house? To this day, I do. He was still there when I came home. I entered the bedroom. I saw Robin
00:23naked on the floor. I was screaming for help. To come home and find your 11-year-old like that
00:29just heart-wrenching. I started doing CPR. I had to keep trying. I thought I'd get a miracle.
00:38I thought for sure that God would let me bring life back into her.
00:45This was somebody that had something against the family. The terror was extreme. No one had a clue
00:55who it was. We lived in fear. It was shocking to think that this type of evil was roaming our
01:04streets. Everyone was a suspect to me. My partner at the time used to say, we have the lock. We have
01:12the DNA. We just need the key. How do you think you were able to take the trauma you experienced
01:20into advocacy for your daughter? In the beginning, I wanted to die. But I was going to find this
01:28monster that killed her. He was out there.
01:31Hi, I'm Paula Zahn. And tonight, we're on the case in Cape Coral, Florida, a quaint city known for its
01:52breathtaking waterfront views. But that beautiful backdrop became the unlikely setting for a terrifying
01:59double homicide when 11-year-old Robin Cornell and 32-year-old Lisa Story were brutally murdered
02:06in their own beds. The crime scene quickly raised many puzzling questions, but the answers were elusive.
02:15And the case may have never been solved if not for one woman's relentless crusade to get justice for two
02:23families.
02:24May 10, 1990. It was just after four on a humid Florida morning when Jan Cornell raced to the front
02:39door of her two-story condo. Even though it was still hours before dawn, the 38-year-old mother was
02:46already late for her shift at a nearby hospital. She had accidentally dozed off at her boyfriend's
02:54apartment the night before.
02:56I panicked when I realized I had fallen asleep. I had to get showered and go to work.
03:02Still, Jan was cautious to be quiet. She didn't want to wake up her 11-year-old daughter, Robin,
03:09or their new roommate, her co-worker, Lisa Story.
03:13What happened when you got to the front door of your home?
03:16I put my key in the lock and went to open the door to go in, but the bottom lock was locked on
03:23the door.
03:25Jan was frustrated. The handle lock was broken and could not be open from the outside.
03:33She had even reminded Robin and Lisa about the problem as she left for her boyfriends the night
03:38before.
03:38I said, don't lock the bottom lock, because if you do, I'm going to have to wake you up.
03:44I won't be able to get in.
03:46Jan now banged on the door, still unaware of the nightmare that awaited her inside.
03:54I'm saying their name, Lisa, Robin, and I heard footsteps.
04:03Jan expected the front door to open, but it never did.
04:07Confused and now worried, Jan looked for another way into the condo.
04:14I ran around to the side, and when I got on the patio, my sliding glass doors were open,
04:21and the verticals were blowing through them.
04:29The fluttering blinds send a chill through Jan.
04:34Did things seem out of place?
04:35Yeah, the kitchen light was on, and the ironing board was out.
04:42There were pictures laying flat on the ironing board.
04:46The pictures were of her two daughters, 11-year-old Robin and 19-year-old Jenny,
04:53who had just moved out of the house a few weeks before.
04:57Why would those pictures be there?
04:58And that's when I really panicked and ran up the stairs.
05:05Jan glanced into her new housemate, Lisa, stories room first.
05:11It appeared that her friend was sleeping on her side, facing away from the door.
05:16Then, she looked across the hall and saw her daughter, Robin, on the floor.
05:27What did you actually see?
05:29When I entered the bedroom, I saw Robin.
05:34She had a rolled-up pillow underneath her abdomen, and she was naked.
05:41Jan was stunned.
05:44She grabbed her 11-year-old and cradled her in her arms.
05:49She was cold to the touch.
05:51She began shouting at her friend, Lisa, assuming that the 32-year-old was somehow responsible.
06:00I was screaming horrible things to her.
06:03You need to get up and help me.
06:05But Lisa didn't respond.
06:10Jan grabbed the phone, called 911, and desperately tried to perform CPR on her daughter.
06:17The strength you have is extraordinary, to try to bring your daughter back to life.
06:23I knew when I touched her, she was gone.
06:26But I had to keep trying.
06:29I thought I'd get a miracle.
06:31I thought for sure that God would let me breathe life back into her.
06:37But there were no miracles that morning.
06:40Only heartbreak.
06:41Minutes later, first responders arrived and tried to get information from Jan.
06:52But she was so hysterical, she couldn't speak.
06:56She simply pointed to the upstairs bedrooms.
06:59It was then that her thoughts returned to her friend, Lisa Story.
07:05When the paramedics came down, I said, did you wake her up?
07:09What did she say?
07:11And they said, she's dead.
07:17A second wave of pain washed over Jan Cornell.
07:20It was now clear that someone had broken in and murdered her daughter, Robin, and her new housemate, Lisa Story.
07:30As Jan tried to process that devastating news, lead detective Todd Everly arrived at the crime scene to begin investigating the double homicide.
07:47Describe to me what you saw when you entered the home.
07:51It's a two-story townhouse.
07:54When we started walking upstairs, we noticed some jewelry on the steps.
07:59We started collecting that evidence and photographing it and bagging it.
08:05And then we got to the spare bedroom.
08:07That's where Lisa Story, who's running the room, she just moved in.
08:12In fact, Lisa hadn't even unpacked yet.
08:18But her personal items were strewn all over the room.
08:21Every box was completely gone through.
08:24It was like a tornado hit the room.
08:33We found Lisa dead on the bed.
08:36She was partially clothed, turned on her side, a pillow half covering her head area.
08:45Was it obvious how she was killed?
08:47At that time, we were suspecting that it was asphyxiation.
08:57Detective Everly then moved to the other bedroom, where Robin Cornell had been murdered.
09:03We found her on her back.
09:07She was completely naked from chest down.
09:11Based on the bruising on Robin's face and neck, police theorized that she had been smothered.
09:19The grisly scene convinced police that the 11-year-old had been sexually assaulted.
09:29Was there anything missing?
09:30Yes.
09:31Lisa's checkbook was gone, some credit cards, her ID.
09:36Investigators also discovered that a new watch Lisa had engraved for her boyfriend had been stolen.
09:44The packaging was opened and found on the bed.
09:48While officers documented what was taken,
09:52crime scene investigators diligently sifted through the condo for anything the killer may have left behind.
09:58What evidence did you collect at the crime scene?
10:02We took hair and fiber from the bodies, any type of fluids that were visible.
10:09We took well over 100 pieces of evidence from that crime scene.
10:13But so far, none of that evidence pointed investigators to a suspect.
10:24They hoped that Jan Cornell's story might help them make sense of the chaos
10:29and provide a lead on how the killer had entered her home.
10:34When Jan got home, she came around here to the side, found this gate standing wide open,
10:41as well as the sliding glass door.
10:43This is where police believe the killer entered and exited as well.
10:46Jan then gave detectives another valuable clue when she mentioned the photos of her daughters
10:56that had been displayed on her ironing board.
11:00Police saw that as a message left by the man responsible for the double homicide.
11:07It was like scripted.
11:09He took these pictures down from the walls and placed them on an ironing board
11:13so when you walked in, you would see them.
11:17Investigators believe there was only one reason the killer
11:21would have staged the crime scene in such a cruel way.
11:28There was some type of a revenge motive that we had to look at.
11:32This was somebody that had something against the family or even Jan herself.
11:43As detectives waded through the mayhem left in the wake of the murders
11:56of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and 32-year-old Lisa Story,
12:02they began to formulate a shocking theory of the crime.
12:06It appeared the two victims had been carefully chosen by a sadistic killer.
12:12But why?
12:18Police believed their only hope in answering that question
12:22relied on the memories of a grief-stricken mother
12:25who had just lost a close friend and her youngest child.
12:31What was Robin like?
12:33Robin was very easygoing, always smiling.
12:38It just brought so much joy.
12:42Robin loved sports and the outdoors.
12:46She and her best friend Jolie Wilson were inseparable.
12:51She was just the nicest person.
12:54The way she made me feel was like I mattered.
12:57Jan was single, my mom was single,
12:59and I just totally trusted her, and it was awesome.
13:07Friends and family saw a maturity in Robin that was well beyond her years.
13:13Robin was only 11 years old, but I understand she had some pretty big dreams.
13:18What did she see for herself?
13:19Oh, my God, she just wanted to be a writer.
13:22She wrote little stories and poems about everything.
13:26Jan desperately wanted Robin to have everything she needed to achieve her goal.
13:31But as a single parent, money was tight.
13:35That's why she made an offhand offer to her friend Lisa Story
13:39to rent the empty bedroom in her condo
13:42after her older daughter Jenny had moved out.
13:45About a week later, Lisa said,
13:49Were you serious?
13:50And I said, Yeah.
13:57Those closest to Lisa Story remember
14:00just how excited she was about the opportunity.
14:05Oh, my goodness.
14:06She was like, Oh, I can't wait for you to see it.
14:08You guys will have to come over.
14:11What was Lisa's personality like?
14:13She was very outgoing, very friendly.
14:18Everybody knew who she was.
14:20She liked most everybody.
14:22It was that easygoing spirit that made Lisa seem
14:26like the ideal housemate for Jan and her younger daughter.
14:33But that perfect match had ended in the worst way possible
14:38on the very first night.
14:40Her brother called us on the phone.
14:44He said, Lisa's been murdered.
14:47And I said, What?
14:51Loved ones told police it was impossible for them
14:54to believe that Lisa was the intended target of the attack.
14:58She simply had no enemies.
15:01And that forced detectives to start the investigation
15:06by retracing the hours leading up to the murders.
15:13Jan said, After her boyfriend and Robin
15:15helped Lisa move the final boxes upstairs to her new room,
15:20the four of them sat down on the couch
15:23to watch a playoff basketball game.
15:25It was starting to get late
15:28when Jan made a choice
15:30that will haunt her the rest of her life.
15:33The basketball game we were watching
15:36was going into overtime.
15:38And my boyfriend just lived a few blocks away.
15:41So I made the decision to go over there
15:44and finish watching the game.
15:46I wasn't going to go,
15:48but both her and Robin said,
15:49Go ahead and go.
15:51They said, We're just going to bed.
15:52Jan assumed she'd be back before midnight.
16:03I actually thought I'd probably be home
16:05like within an hour.
16:07But that didn't happen.
16:09I fell asleep.
16:11It was just after 4 a.m.
16:14when Jan awakened and raced home.
16:17Every detail of Jan's story
16:23was carefully checked and verified.
16:26The confirmation left a five-hour window
16:30in which the crime had taken place.
16:32Detectives hoped
16:33that the medical examiner's report
16:35would narrow the timeline even further.
16:39What was determined to be the cause of death
16:41for both Robin and Lisa?
16:42After the autopsy was confirmed,
16:44it was asphyxiation.
16:45Did the medical examiner confirm
16:50that both victims had been sexually assaulted?
16:54Yes, they were both sexually assaulted.
16:56Biological evidence was recovered
16:58from both victims.
17:01There was also a single hair
17:02found on Lisa's hip that was collected.
17:09Testing revealed that the suspect
17:11was a white male with typo blood.
17:15But in the early days of DNA,
17:18that evidence did little
17:20to narrow the detectives' list.
17:23They would have to take a hard look
17:26at every man who knew Jan, Lisa, or Robin
17:30and determine if one of them
17:32was secretly a cold-blooded killer.
17:35Police were working around the clock
17:51to solve one of the city's
17:53most horrific double murders.
17:58And they had to view everyone as a suspect,
18:01even those closest to the victims.
18:03Based on everything you saw at the scene,
18:06was it your belief that it was likely
18:09that the killer knew someone
18:10in the Cornell family
18:12or in Lisa Story's family?
18:15At that point, we didn't know.
18:16We looked at all those avenues.
18:18Everything was on the table.
18:19Was this someone that they knew?
18:26You usually look at family members first and friends.
18:33How did you go about eliminating anyone
18:36who might have been associated
18:38with the Cornell or Story family?
18:40We took hundreds of blood samples and hair samples.
18:45People voluntarily giving them to us.
18:49But the painstaking process
18:51failed to reveal a suspect.
18:58The results were disappointing
19:01and a relief at the same time.
19:04Until they DNA'd every man I knew in my life,
19:08I couldn't talk to anybody.
19:10They had to be cleared by DNA.
19:16Once friends and family were ruled out,
19:20detectives began the massive task
19:23of testing the Cornell's neighbors.
19:25The courtyards north is a large complex.
19:30It's about 140 units.
19:31So there was a lot of foot traffic
19:33that would go through the sidewalks
19:34and the walkways through there.
19:39When police discussed their efforts with Jan,
19:42it triggered her memory.
19:44She suddenly remembered
19:45a disturbing encounter she had had
19:48with a stranger the day before the murders.
19:51My bedroom window
19:53faced a sidewalk
19:55through this courtyard.
19:58The cat was crying to get in.
20:00And I was standing there
20:01with a little shirt on
20:04and my underwear.
20:05And there was a guy
20:06walking through with a ball cap on.
20:09And he stopped.
20:12He was smirking and watching.
20:18Police now wondered
20:20if the man may have been
20:22stalking Jan and her family.
20:23for longer than she knew.
20:26Did you think the Peeping Tom incident
20:28could have been connected
20:29to the murders?
20:31Yes.
20:31It was someone
20:32that we wanted to look into
20:33a little further.
20:35Investigators went to work
20:37trying to assemble
20:38a lineup of men
20:39for Jan to view.
20:41This apartment complex
20:42is massive in size.
20:44And back in 1990,
20:45the detectives were making contact
20:46with everyone that they could hear,
20:48specifically looking for
20:50someone that matched the description
20:51that Jan gave
20:52of the Peeping Tom.
20:54Police tried to narrow
20:55their focus
20:56by prioritizing men
20:58with a history
20:59of sex-related crimes.
21:01The plan quickly led to a suspect.
21:10Why did a man named Robert
21:12get your attention?
21:13We started interviewing
21:14the girlfriend at the time.
21:16She started giving us some clues.
21:17He had some tendencies
21:19of being a Peeping Tom.
21:20Did she know him
21:25to be a violent person?
21:26She did.
21:27She told investigators
21:28some pretty intimate details
21:30that aligned with the injuries
21:32that both victims sustained.
21:35And there was more.
21:37She said that he did not return
21:39to her place that night
21:40as she had expected him to.
21:42In fact, Robert
21:44had disappeared from her life
21:46the day after the murders.
21:48Investigators began
21:54a search for him
21:55at his last Cape Coral address.
21:58Had he told his landlord
22:00that he was leaving?
22:01No.
22:02She was surprised
22:03that he'd left.
22:04And she shared
22:05another suspicious detail.
22:09Robert had left in a hurry
22:11even though his rent
22:12was paid
22:13through the end of the month.
22:16Detectives asked
22:17to look inside the room
22:18where he had been staying.
22:20What was collected
22:20from his room?
22:21She voluntarily gave us
22:22the bedsheets,
22:23the pillow, casing,
22:25and that was packaged
22:26and sent off
22:26to see if they could be used
22:27to compare
22:28with our crime scene.
22:30While the lab
22:31started the testing,
22:33detectives went to work
22:34tracking down Robert.
22:37They had a lot of questions
22:39to ask him.
22:41Robert definitely
22:42was a suspect.
22:47Cape Coral detectives
22:59searching for the man
23:00responsible for the brutal
23:02double homicide
23:03of Robin Cornell
23:04and Lisa Story
23:05followed tips
23:08on their suspect's whereabouts
23:10all the way to Mississippi.
23:12And when their search
23:14finally led them
23:16to the front door
23:17of Robert's
23:17new girlfriend,
23:19police were ready
23:20for action.
23:21We had a search warrant
23:22for blood samples,
23:24hair samples,
23:25so we could compare
23:26the known evidence
23:26that we had.
23:28But that's when
23:28the plan hit a roadblock.
23:32Robert was out of town
23:34working on an oil rig.
23:36Investigators had no choice
23:42but to wait for his return.
23:45Did he eventually come back?
23:47Yeah, a car pulled up
23:48and a male got out
23:49of a vehicle.
23:50We asked,
23:50are you Robert?
23:51And originally he said no.
23:53And then he paused
23:54and he says,
23:55yes, I'm Robert.
23:57Investigators were confident
23:58his sketchy behavior
23:59meant they were
24:01on the right track
24:02and they took him in
24:03for questioning.
24:06What did he say
24:09when you asked him directly
24:11if he had anything
24:13to do with the murders?
24:14He said he did not
24:15have anything to do
24:16with the murders
24:17and he did not know
24:18either victims
24:19or anyone who lived
24:20in Unit 100.
24:22Investigators remained
24:23skeptical
24:24and pressed him
24:25for information.
24:27What was Robert's alibi
24:28for the night
24:29of the murders?
24:30He said that he was
24:31out drinking
24:32at one of the local bars,
24:33had several drinks
24:34and stayed at one
24:35of his friend's house.
24:36The alibi explained
24:42why Robert
24:42hadn't returned
24:44to his girlfriend's condo
24:45on the night
24:46of the murder.
24:48And he told detectives
24:50that his new love interest
24:52and a job opportunity
24:53on the oil rig
24:54were the only reasons
24:56he had ducked out
24:57of Cape Coral
24:58without a goodbye.
24:59But those easy answers
25:02ended suddenly
25:04once police brought up
25:06his troubling past.
25:08What happened
25:09when you started
25:10to ask him
25:10about his
25:12Peeping Tom incidents?
25:14He shut down
25:15and ended the questioning.
25:17He did not want to speak
25:18to us anymore.
25:18Still, investigators
25:23didn't need his permission
25:25to obtain samples
25:26of his blood and hair.
25:29Detectives believed
25:30they were now
25:31a lab report away
25:32from an arrest.
25:34But the results
25:35were not
25:36what they had expected.
25:38How surprised were you
25:39when the lab results
25:40came back
25:41and there wasn't
25:42a match
25:43between the samples
25:45that Robert provided
25:46and the evidence
25:47of the crime scene?
25:48I was surprised.
25:49We had a lot
25:50that led to him.
25:54Instead,
25:56detectives were
25:57back at square one.
26:00And the pressure
26:01they felt
26:02to solve the case
26:03was growing.
26:05How much
26:06were these
26:07violent,
26:09brutal murders
26:09discussed?
26:10It was shocking
26:11that there had been
26:12a double homicide
26:13in Cape Coral.
26:16We never had
26:17anything like this.
26:18This was highly
26:19unusual for us.
26:22People were frightened
26:23because the person
26:25wasn't caught.
26:31For Jan Cornell,
26:33the emotions
26:34in the months
26:35after the attack
26:36were totally different.
26:39I was mad
26:40every day I woke up
26:41because if I wasn't
26:42there that night,
26:43why am I here?
26:44Why am I here?
26:46All I want to do
26:47is die because
26:48of what happened
26:49that night.
26:51But somehow,
26:52she was able
26:53to put those
26:54paralyzing feelings
26:56aside
26:56and find a way
26:58forward.
26:59What kind of legacy
27:00would that leave
27:01for Robin's sister
27:02that she loved
27:03so much?
27:04So I made up
27:06my mind
27:06that I was going
27:08to find this person
27:09no matter what
27:10it took
27:10because he was
27:12out there.
27:17Jan embarked
27:18on her own
27:19one-woman crusade
27:21to keep the double homicide
27:23in the public eye
27:24and make sure
27:25that every detective
27:27on the case
27:27knew she would
27:28never rest
27:29without justice.
27:31They all quickly
27:33gravitated
27:34to her cause.
27:35Jan Cornell,
27:36she's a very special lady.
27:37She is a very
27:39strong-willed individual,
27:40definitely a force
27:41of nature.
27:43She was going
27:44to move heaven
27:44and earth
27:45to make sure
27:46whoever did this
27:47got caught.
27:49And if you didn't
27:49like it,
27:50oh well,
27:51too bad.
27:54But despite Jan's
27:56relentless push,
27:58the investigation
27:59remained stuck
28:01at the same roadblock.
28:03We had to kill
28:04his DNA
28:05right at that crime
28:07scene in a location
28:08that if we ever
28:10tapped the right guy
28:10on the shoulder,
28:11this case is done.
28:13He's never going
28:13to talk his way
28:14out of this.
28:15But the problem
28:16is we don't have
28:17any viable suspects.
28:19Eventually,
28:20it was the passage
28:21of time
28:22that sparked
28:23new hope,
28:24advancements
28:25in DNA technology
28:27that led to the launch
28:28of the CODIS
28:29database.
28:30When the killer's
28:32DNA profile
28:33was entered
28:34into CODIS,
28:36were there any hits?
28:37There was no hits,
28:38nothing.
28:41Despite one setback
28:43after another,
28:45the years of hard work
28:46ultimately deepened
28:48the relationships
28:49investigators had
28:50with both victims'
28:52families.
28:53And those close ties
28:55led to the most
28:57difficult moment
28:58of Detective Charlie
29:00Garrett's career,
29:01meeting with
29:02Lisa Story's mother
29:03while she was
29:05on her deathbed
29:05without the answers
29:07she so desperately
29:09wanted.
29:10Tell me about
29:10the last conversation
29:11you had
29:12with Lisa Story's mother.
29:14Wow.
29:15I felt
29:16that I should go out
29:18and talk with her
29:19about the case.
29:20I kind of dreaded it,
29:22to be honest with you,
29:22because I knew
29:23how emotional
29:23it was going to be.
29:24She was like,
29:26please don't forget
29:27my daughter.
29:28And I said,
29:30no matter how long
29:31it takes,
29:32no matter what
29:33we've got to do,
29:34you will never stop
29:36until we catch
29:36the person responsible
29:37for taking your daughter
29:38away from you.
29:40Jan Cornell
29:41made Lisa's dying mother
29:43the same promise.
29:45She said,
29:46you will never stop
29:47looking for who hurt them.
29:49And I said,
29:50I promise you,
29:51I won't.
29:52And I promise
29:53we're going to find him.
29:55We're going to find him.
30:11For more than 25 years,
30:14law enforcement
30:15never gave up
30:16on solving
30:17the tragic
30:17double homicide
30:18of Robin Cornell
30:22and Lisa Story.
30:25Approximately
30:26how many leads
30:27did investigators
30:29chase over the years?
30:30Thousands.
30:31We never let
30:32this case go.
30:33It's always been
30:34actively worked.
30:41Although the decades
30:42without progress
30:43were painfully frustrating,
30:46the patience
30:46and persistence
30:48of investigator
30:49Christy Ellis
30:50eventually paid off.
30:52Take me back
30:53to September
30:53of 2016
30:55when a call
30:57came in
30:58that you describe
31:00as the highlight
31:02of your career.
31:03My phone rang
31:03and it was
31:05somebody from
31:05the Florida Department
31:06of Law Enforcement
31:07and they said
31:07we got a hit
31:08on the Cornell Story case.
31:12You what?
31:13Hang on, hang on,
31:14hang on,
31:14back up.
31:15Let me pick my job
31:17off the floor.
31:22One of the reasons
31:23the veteran investigator
31:24was so shocked
31:26was that the DNA evidence
31:28from the crime scene
31:29had been in the CODIS system
31:31for years.
31:32That meant
31:33any hit
31:34had to have come
31:35from a new sample
31:37that was only
31:38recently uploaded.
31:40After digesting
31:42the amazing news,
31:43Detective Ellis
31:44asked her colleague
31:46for the name
31:47that had eluded her
31:49for so long.
31:50What was the name
31:52that you were given?
31:54Joseph Zeiler.
31:59Once again,
32:01Detective Ellis
32:02was stunned.
32:04Joseph Zeiler's name
32:05was nowhere
32:06in the massive case file.
32:08police were also surprised
32:10to learn
32:11that Zeiler
32:11had a limited
32:13criminal history.
32:14In the early 80s,
32:16he had been arrested
32:16for Grand Theft Auto,
32:18for burglary,
32:20and then right after
32:22our homicide,
32:22he was arrested
32:23for concealed weapons
32:24and resisting arrest.
32:30But for the next
32:3126 years,
32:33Zeiler
32:34had never reappeared
32:35on law enforcement's radar.
32:38To think that he was
32:40in the community
32:41the entire time,
32:43the fact that he was still
32:45here with the family
32:46was just crazy.
32:48Then a bizarre encounter
32:49led to his DNA
32:51being placed in the system.
32:53How did Zeiler's DNA
32:54end up in CODIS?
32:56Joseph Zeiler
32:56was involved
32:57in an altercation
32:58with his adult son,
33:01wound up shooting
33:02his son in the chest
33:04with a pellet gun
33:05that actually broke
33:06the skin.
33:08Joseph Zeiler
33:09was arrested
33:09for that aggravated battery,
33:11and when he was arrested,
33:13he was swabbed.
33:18Since Zeiler
33:19was already behind bars
33:20following his arrest
33:22for that incident,
33:23police didn't have
33:24to go far
33:25to question him
33:26face to face.
33:27What was your plan
33:28going into the interview?
33:30The plan was
33:30to try to talk to him,
33:32get background information.
33:33It would be lovely
33:34if he admitted
33:34to what had happened.
33:38But the interrogation
33:40got off to a rocky start
33:42when Zeiler claimed
33:43he was impaired
33:44by head injuries
33:45he sustained
33:46in a 1998
33:48motorcycle accident.
33:49I have a hard time
33:51with my memories.
33:54I'm not too
33:54up on what happened
33:57before this accident.
33:59I mean,
33:59I can remember
34:00some stuff
34:00that I have to deal
34:01with on a daily basis
34:02that's hammered
34:03into my head.
34:07But investigators
34:08didn't buy his story.
34:11At the time
34:12of his arrest
34:13for shooting his son,
34:15Zeiler never mentioned
34:16any cognitive issues.
34:18he was sharp.
34:19That was in August
34:20of 2016.
34:22Fast forward
34:22to September
34:23of 2016,
34:24he didn't know anything.
34:29Police confronted
34:31Zeiler
34:31about the sudden change
34:33in his mental state.
34:35You gave them
34:36very clear
34:37recollection
34:38of a lot of things
34:40that you were saying
34:40you don't know now.
34:43Convenient, correct?
34:44Well, that was
34:45at the time
34:46it was brushing my head.
34:48Your plans?
34:49No, no.
34:51Investigators
34:51then told Zeiler
34:52what they believed
34:54he already knew.
34:56He was the prime suspect
34:58in a double murder.
35:01And a comment he made
35:03while police collected
35:04his DNA
35:04made it obvious
35:06he had no trouble
35:07grasping what that meant
35:09for his future.
35:11Zeiler, on his own,
35:13said,
35:15what is the death penalty
35:15in Florida?
35:17Which is a pretty big question
35:19to ask at that point.
35:23And it seemed clear
35:24that Zeiler
35:25would have to face
35:27the answer head on
35:28after his DNA
35:29came back
35:30as a match
35:31to the biological evidence
35:34collected from
35:35Robin Cornell.
35:37It was
35:38one in 700 billion.
35:40Those are just numbers
35:40that are not
35:41even on the earth.
35:43Zeiler's DNA
35:44was also a match
35:45to the hair collected
35:46from Lisa Story's body.
35:51Detective Ellis
35:52couldn't wait
35:52to tell Jan Cornell
35:54that her painful journey
35:56for answers
35:57was over.
35:59She drove to Jan's home
36:00to deliver the news
36:02in person.
36:03It was probably
36:04close to 9 p.m.
36:05She was like,
36:06what's up?
36:06I just stood there
36:07for a minute
36:07and looked at her
36:08and I said,
36:08we got him, Jan.
36:11All I could say
36:13was, oh my God,
36:14and cry.
36:17It was pretty,
36:18you know,
36:20extraordinary.
36:20It was just amazing,
36:23emotional,
36:24exciting,
36:25exhilarating.
36:27Investigators
36:28never found
36:28anything linking
36:30Zeiler
36:30to other
36:31unsolved crimes,
36:32nor did they
36:33discover a motive
36:34for him
36:35to specifically
36:36target Jan,
36:37Robin,
36:38or Lisa.
36:40Still,
36:40State Attorney
36:41Amira Fox
36:42was confident
36:43that the evidence
36:44police had collected
36:45was more than enough
36:47for her
36:47to pursue
36:48the death penalty.
36:49In this case,
36:52there were some
36:53of the strongest
36:54aggravating factors
36:55that exist
36:56under Florida law.
36:57The crime
36:58was heinous,
36:59atrocious,
37:00and cruel.
37:04When the trial
37:06finally began,
37:07it was challenging
37:09for Jan Cornell
37:10to control
37:11her emotions.
37:12I had to sit
37:13on my hands
37:14because they were
37:15shaking so bad.
37:16when he stared
37:18at me
37:19and I looked
37:19into his eyes,
37:21all I could think
37:22of was that
37:22was the last
37:23thing they saw,
37:25was that evil
37:26man's eyes.
37:32But Jan was there,
37:34front and center,
37:35when the jury
37:36returned from
37:37its deliberations.
37:38What was your reaction
37:40when you heard
37:41the guilty verdict?
37:41I just kept
37:42hearing it
37:43over and over
37:44and over
37:45in my head,
37:46guilty.
37:50That is what
37:51I had prayed for
37:52for almost 33 years.
37:55The person
37:56that did this
37:57was going to
37:58pay for what
38:00he did to them.
38:01The verdict
38:06was also a relief
38:08for all the
38:09members of law
38:09enforcement
38:10who had spent
38:11decades on the case.
38:14Three generations
38:14of detectives
38:15that worked this case,
38:17past chiefs,
38:18the current chiefs,
38:19the complete family
38:20and friends,
38:21we all stood together
38:22as one team.
38:24It was very meaningful
38:24for all of us.
38:29During the sentencing phase,
38:31Jan Cornell chose
38:32to ignore Joseph Seiler.
38:34I wanted to tell him
38:36what a piece of scum he was.
38:39I wanted to berate him
38:40in every way I could.
38:44But a psychological profiler
38:47said to me,
38:48he's a psychopath.
38:50He will love that.
38:52He will love knowing
38:53the pain
38:54and how broken
38:56you and your family were.
38:59In the end,
38:5961-year-old Joseph Seiler
39:02got what he feared
39:03the most,
39:04a death sentence.
39:09Nothing can take the place
39:11of hearing the words
39:13today
39:14that justice
39:15for Robin
39:16and justice
39:17for Lisa
39:18has happened.
39:22Sometimes it is a long path
39:24to get justice,
39:25but the justice
39:27can and will be done
39:29with a great deal
39:30of hard work,
39:31great teamwork,
39:32and an immense amount
39:34of patience
39:35from all the partners
39:37involved in this case.
39:39Jan has also found comfort
39:42in knowing that she had
39:43kept her promise
39:44to Lisa's story's mother.
39:47She went out
39:48to visit Lisa's mom and dad.
39:50She put flowers
39:51on all the graves
39:52and she puts
39:53these little windmill
39:54things that blow
39:56in the breeze
39:56and she says
39:57if they're turning,
39:58that means
39:59that they can hear you.
40:06It was a fitting end
40:07to a heartbreaking journey.
40:11After 33 years
40:12of torment,
40:14Jan Cornell
40:15can finally grieve
40:17her loss
40:17with peace of mind.
40:20What do you miss
40:21most about Robin?
40:23We used to
40:24lay in bed at night
40:26and tell each other stories.
40:30She'd tell me stories
40:32about things
40:33that happened to her
40:34and then I'd tell her stories
40:36about things
40:36that happened to me
40:37when I was a kid
40:38and she'd be like,
40:40oh my God,
40:41really, Mom?
40:42I miss her voice.
40:46I miss her laugh.
40:48She had an amazing laugh.
40:50She was a lot of fun.
40:55State Attorney Fox
40:57is confident
40:57that the cold case unit
40:59that solved this case
41:00will help bring justice
41:02to other families as well.
41:04I'm Paula Zahn.
41:05Please join us again
41:07next time
41:08when we're back
41:08on the case.
41:12on an all-new season
41:15of On the Case.
41:17We're in the ambulance
41:18right away.
41:19It's a murder scene.
41:20How shocking was it
41:22that she had been attacked
41:24while the rest of her family
41:25was sleeping?
41:27It's hard, Jan.
41:28You think you're safe
41:29in your own home.
41:31Her left leg
41:32was written,
41:33I was here.
41:34The killer meant
41:37to send a message.
41:38My world stopped.
41:40I would just cry.
41:43Where the victim's voice
41:44is never silenced.
41:47I was going to find
41:49this monster that killed her.
41:51He was out there.
41:53A ranch worker
41:54discovered the remains
41:55of a deceased female.
41:56She had been decapitated.
42:00Was there a fear
42:01that this killer
42:02might strike again?
42:04This was his hunting ground.
42:06He would not stop.
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