Alejandro Ferrer Murder Trial

Orlando Florida

Was the 26-year-old Orlando man acting in self-defense or with murderous intent when he stabbed Colin Zieler to death?

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Ferrer, who they say ambushed Zieler.

The 31-year-old former golf pro was slain during the early-morning hours of May 17, 2007.

Last week, jury selection in the first-degree murder trial was halted when prospective jurors expressed unease because they feared Ferrer might be writing down information about them. The jurors were excused, and a new panel was called.

During Tuesday's opening statements, Assistant State Attorney Cass Castillo told jurors that Zieler was lured outside his apartment.

Zieler, who lived in Texas, was working for an industrial clean-up company. He was temporarily living with his brother, Aaron, at LeMans Apartments on Shepherd Road in South Lakeland.

Zieler received a 3:58 a.m. telephone call from Heizel Gonzalez-Martinez, the mother of his 3-year-old son. Prosecutors said the call was to lure him outside.

At the time of the killing, Gonzalez-Martinez, a 27-year-old former exotic dancer, had been dating Ferrer.

Castillo said Ferrer attacked Zieler with a 12-inch knife. His brother awoke and saw two people fighting outside, Castillo said.

Aaron Zieler called 911 and went out to check on the man lying on the ground, discovering that the man was his brother, Castillo said.

The prosecutor described Zieler's body as being "absolutely mutilated" with multiple stab wounds, a large laceration from an ear to his mouth, a section of his chin missing and his throat cut.

Detectives went to visit Gonzalez-Martinez and noticed Ferrer's hand was bandaged.

In his first statement to detectives, Ferrer denied going to see Zieler and said a black dog hurt his hand.

In his second statement, Ferrer told detectives that Zieler attacked him with a knife, and he managed to wrestle the weapon away.

Later, Ferrer told detectives he took the knife to Zieler's apartment.

Ferrer's lawyer, Ricardo Calzada, said his client only wanted to speak with Zieler that morning. He said Ferrer used a "reasonable amount of force" to protect himself from an unprovoked attack from Zieler.

Gonzalez-Martinez had confided to Ferrer that Zieler had raped her a few days earlier, Calzada said.

Zieler threw the first punch at Ferrer, a fight ensued and "quickly spiraled out of control," he said.

"It was not a planned killing," Calzada said.

Gonzalez-Martinez was found guilty Oct. 12, 2007, of second-degree murder and accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.

She reached a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to serve a 15-year prison sentence for the accessory charge and to waive all rights to appeal the case.

Full Resource...By Jason Geary
THE LEDGER
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081028/NEWS/810280363/1134&Title=Lawyer__2007_Lakeland_Slaying_Was_Self_Defense&template=printpicart

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11/04/08

Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder!!

BARTOW | Despite a claim of self-defense, a 26-year-old Orlando man was found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder in the brutal stabbing death of Colin Zieler.

Alejandro Ferrer could face up to life in prison. His sentencing date is set for Dec. 17.

Jurors spent more than six hours deliberating over two days before reaching their verdict.

Prosecutors argued Ferrer was guilty of first-degree murder and were seeking the death penalty against him.

They theorized that Ferrer ambushed Zieler outside his South Lakeland apartment and repeatedly stabbed and slashed him. Zieler, a 31-year-old former golf pro, was killed on May 17, 2007.

Zieler, who lived in Texas, was working for an industrial clean-up company. He was temporarily staying with his brother, Aaron, at the LeMans Apartments on Shepherd Road in South Lakeland.

Prosecutors said Zieler was lured outside the apartment by a 3:58 a.m. telephone call from Heizel Gonzalez-Martinez, the mother of his 3-year-old son.

Ferrer was dating Gonzalez-Martinez, a 27-year-old former exotic dancer, at the time of the slaying.

She is serving a 15-year prison sentence for accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.

Ferrer told detectives that Gonzalez-Martinez confided that Zieler had raped her, and Ferrer said he went over to confront him.

After the killing, investigators discovered that Gonzalez-Martinez, who had gotten a job as an insurance agent after the birth of her son, persuaded Zieler to take out a $500,000 life insurance policy that named her as beneficiary.

Information about the insurance policy was not discussed at Ferrer’s trial.

In Monday’s closing arguments, Assistant State Attorney Cass Castillo told jurors there was no evidence that Zieler raped Gonzalez-Martinez.

Castillo dismissed the argument that Ferrer was defending himself against a sudden attack from Zieler.

Castillo said blood around Zieler’s apartment door shows Zieler was running to the safety of his home. “He literally ran for his life,” Castillo said.

Zieler’s body was found “mutilated” with multiple stab wounds to his chest and back, a large laceration from an ear to his mouth, a section of his chin missing and his throat was cut, Castillo said.

Holding up an autopsy photo showing the slice to Zieler’s throat, Castillo told jurors the clean cut was “almost surgical.”

He said the lack of jaggedness to the wound proved Zieler wasn’t fighting or resisting at that point.

“This is the coup de grace,” Castillo said. “This is the final cut.”

By contrast, the prosecutor pointed out, Ferrer only had minor injuries, including a wound to his hand.

Ferrer’s lawyers, Lee Dorough and Ricardo Calzada, argued their client used a reasonable amount of force to protect himself.

Dorough said in closing arguments that bite marks on Zieler’s arm prove his client was trying desperately to defend himself and get away from Zieler.

Dorough denied that the slice to Zieler’s throat showed surgical precision and argued it could have been inflicted any number of ways.

Ferrer was “slashing blindly” and that’s how the various injuries were made, Dorough said.

He said Ferrer was getting dragged by Zieler toward the apartment so Zieler could enlist the help of his brother in the fight.

“There was no running,” he said.

Castillo described Ferrer as a manipulative liar who fled once the killing was done, and changed his story to detectives several times.

“He is lying because he knew he did something wrong,” Castillo said.

Dorough said Ferrer fled the scene, threw away bloody clothing, cleaned up his girlfriend’s car, and lied to detectives because he didn’t think anyone would believe him.

“It’s evidence of panic,” Dorough said. “It’s evidence of fear.”

During his first interview with detectives, Ferrer denied ever going to Zieler’s home.

He said a bandaged wound on his hand came from a large black dog that bit him.

In his second interview, Ferrer said he killed Zieler in self-defense.

At first, Ferrer told detectives that Zieler suddenly attacked him with a knife. Ferrer said he managed to get the knife away from him.

When detectives began to question his story, Ferrer admitted that he got a knife from the trunk of Gonzalez-Martinez’s car. He said he got the knife after Zieler punched him.

Ferrer told detectives that he used the 12-inch knife for fishing. But no other fishing gear was found in his girlfriend’s car.

Castillo said Ferrer brought the knife to Zieler’s apartment because he planned to kill him.

From The Ledger.....

http://www.theledger.com/article/20081104/NEWS/811040240/1410?Title=Orlando_Man_Guilty_in_Lakeland_Murder