Blood and Truth

Blood and Truth

Tommy Zeigler has been on death row for 42 years and for more than half that time, he’s been trying to convince the state of Florida to allow for DNA tests that might help exonerate him. But the state continually refuses. About 20 other men are in a similar situation, imprisoned in Florida since the 1970s or ’80s and arguing that it’s inherently unfair to deny them access to 21st century science. Leonora LaPeter Anton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Tampa Bay Times, and photographer Cherie Diez have followed the case for years. In 2018, they traveled around Florida and into Georgia to interview dozens of people, some involved in the police work or prosecution, others who believe in Zeigler’s innocence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

Chapter 11: Shapes of Hope

June 26, 2023 • 31 mins

It's been three years since the last episode of Blood and Truth, and Tommy Zeigler is still on death row. But with the election of a new state attorney comes fresh hope for the DNA testing Ziegler says could set him free after nearly five decades behind bars. Here's the latest.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Chapter 10: Another Chance

February 24, 2020 • 31 mins

Tommy Zeigler waited on Florida’s death row last year with hope that there would be another chance to test the evidence in his case. Listen to what happened.

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Coming soon: Chapter 10

February 18, 2020 • 28 secs

Will prosecutors give Tommy Zeigler another chance at DNA testing?

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Chapter nine: A Q&A

February 19, 2019 • 56 mins

Listen to Pulitzer Prize winner Leonora LaPeter Anton talk about what didn’t make it into this series, what’s happening with the Tommy Zeigler case and thoughts about his guilt or innocence.

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Chapter eight: Finality versus fairness

February 12, 2019 • 35 mins

Florida’s judicial system is designed to support a jury’s verdict, whether it was right or wrong.

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Chapter seven: On the row

February 5, 2019 • 33 mins

Tommy Zeigler has spent more than four decades living in a 6-foot by 9-foot cell and trying not to get angry.

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Chapter six: Poking holes in the case

January 29, 2019 • 34 mins

Tommy Zeigler's supporters have spent years chasing clues and re-investigating the murders. Listen to what they've uncovered.

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Chapter five: DNA denied

January 22, 2019 • 31 mins

The advent of modern forensic science gives Tommy Zeigler hope, but prosecutors and judges keep rejecting his requests for DNA testing.

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Chapter four: A split jury

January 15, 2019 • 20 mins

One juror struggles to make a decision and feels badgered by others who think the evidence is clear in Tommy Zeigler's case.

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Chapter three: Trial and errors

January 8, 2019 • 29 mins

Prosecutors present the case against Tommy Zeigler, as his defense team scrambles to vet witnesses and get evidence tested.

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Chapter two: Murder near the Magic Kingdom

January 1, 2019 • 21 mins

Winter Garden, Fla., a rural town in central Florida, is rattled by the slayings at a furniture store, and the police investigation zeros in on Tommy Zeigler.

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Chapter one: Could he be innocent?

December 25, 2018 • 30 mins

A man who has spent 42 years on Florida's death row says DNA testing can prove that he's innocent. The state refuses to allow it.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Coming soon: Blood and Truth

December 18, 2018 • 1 min

Tommy Zeigler has been on death row for 42 years and for more than half that time, he’s been trying to convince the state of Florida to allow for DNA tests that might help exonerate him. But the state continually refuses. About 20 other men are in a similar situation, imprisoned in Florida since the 1970s or ’80s and arguing that it’s inherently unfair to deny them access to 21st century science. Tampa Bay Times reporter Leonora La...

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