Imagine coming home after a night out, expecting to see your daughter fast asleep and your roommate winding down. That was Jan Cornell’s reality on May 10, 1990. She walked into her apartment at the Courtyards of Cape Coral and found a scene that would haunt Florida for more than three decades. Her 11-year-old daughter, Robin Cornell, and her 32-year-old roommate, Lisa Story, had been brutally murdered.
The crime was personal. It was quiet. It left a mother shattered. For 26 years, the Robin Cornell Lisa Story story was a cold case that felt like it might never be solved, despite being featured on America’s Most Wanted three separate times.
The Night Everything Changed
The details of the crime were horrific. Jan had been staying at her boyfriend's house that night. When she returned at 4:00 AM, she found the front door unlocked. Inside, the nightmare began. Both Robin and Lisa had been sexually assaulted and suffocated. The intruder hadn't just taken lives; they had taken items from the home too, including a camera and some jewelry.
Police were baffled. There was no sign of forced entry. It felt like someone knew the layout of the place, or perhaps just got lucky in the worst possible way.
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Cape Coral was a smaller town back then. This kind of violence didn't just happen. The community was on edge, and Jan Cornell was left in a state of perpetual grief, waiting for a phone call that wouldn't come for a quarter of a century.
A Breakthrough Two Decades in the Making
How does a case go from a "dead end" to a conviction after 26 years? Honestly, it usually comes down to luck meeting science. In 2016, a man named Joseph Zieler was arrested for an unrelated felony—shooting his own son with a pellet gun.
In Florida, a 2009 law required DNA swabs for certain felony arrests. When Zieler’s DNA entered the system, the computer did what humans couldn't. It flagged a match. The DNA found at the 1990 crime scene was his.
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"It was like winning the lottery of justice," Jan Cornell told reporters after the arrest.
It turns out Zieler hadn't fled to some far-off country. He’d been living in North Fort Myers the whole time. He was right there, just miles from the crime scene, living a life while the families of Robin and Lisa lived in a shadow.
The Trial and the Courtroom Chaos
The legal process wasn't exactly smooth. It took years to get to trial, and when it finally happened in 2023, it was a circus. Joseph Zieler wasn't a quiet defendant. He was aggressive, vulgar, and clearly unrepentant.
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He even tried to claim he had an affair with Jan Cornell back in the day, suggesting that’s why his DNA was in the apartment. It was a desperate, cruel attempt to deflect blame. Jan, of course, testified that she had never even met the man.
The most shocking moment? Right before his sentencing, Zieler called his attorney, Kevin Shirley, over for a "whisper." Instead of talking, he elbowed his attorney right in the side of the head. Bailiffs tackled him immediately. It was a final, violent display from a man who had spent his life hurting others.
Why This Case Still Matters Today
- DNA Legislation: The resolution of this case proves why mandatory DNA collection for felonies is a game-changer for cold cases.
- Persistence of Investigation: The Cape Coral Police Department never actually moved this to a "cold file" in the traditional sense; they kept active leads for 33 years.
- Victim Advocacy: Jan Cornell’s refusal to let the world forget her daughter kept the pressure on for decades.
Justice at the End of the Road
In June 2023, a judge followed the jury's 10-2 recommendation and sentenced Joseph Zieler to death. For the families, it wasn't about "moving on"—you don't really move on from something like this. It was about the "books being closed," as Jan put it.
The Robin Cornell Lisa Story story is a reminder that time doesn't necessarily hide the truth; it just waits for the technology to catch up with it.
If you are following cold cases or interested in how DNA is reshaping the justice system, you can track similar Florida cold case updates through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Staying informed on local legislation regarding DNA databases is the best way to ensure more families get the closure Jan Cornell eventually found. Supporting organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also helps keep these stories in the public eye until they are resolved.