Orange County’s police and prosecutors learned that the term “fast” could in no sense be applied to the FBI Lab.

Speed was not the only consideration.  Some of the results, when they were finally released, became instantly controversial.  Before the trial was finished, both prosecution and defense would have reason to question the work of the nation’s finest crime laboratory.

*

The murders and the investigation dominated local news.

Central Florida’s most important print outlet was the Orlando Sentinel Star.  On Christmas Day, because of deadlines, the newspaper reported the killings at the top of its Metro pages.  The crime was described as a “robbery attempt,” and by press time the four dead had not been identified.  Sheriff’s lieutenant Bruce Churchill was quoted as saying, “It will take us a long time to determine what happened.”

Every day for the next week, the story was at the top of page one of the Sentinel Star.  Much of the reporting relied on unnamed police sources, and the tone of the articles reflected a growing skepticism about Zeigler.

In the early editions of December 26, authorities were reported to be “totally baffled about how or why the shootings occurred—although not ruling out robbery.”  The afternoon edition, however, reported, “Exhausted investigators today predicted charges will be filed almost immediately….While police first said they thought robbery was the motive in the early evening gun battle, they now say ‘there are other things to consider here.’ “

The next day, the 27^th, the headline was KILLINGS SURVIVOR REFUSES TO TALK.  The lead paragraph read:  “The lone survivor and only witness to a bloody Christmas Eve massacre…refused on the advice of his lawyer Friday to answer investigators’ questions.”

Sheriff Melvin G. Colman would not comment on whether Zeigler was a suspect.  As for the robbery theory, Colman said, “We haven’t ruled out anything in the case.”

The article went on:  “Some investigators said early Friday they believed they were ready to charge a suspect.  But following an afternoon conference at the blood-spattered furniture store between Colman and Assistant State Atty. Lawson L. Lamar, it was decided to continue gathering evidence and await results of laboratory tests.”

On Sunday, the 28^th, the Sentinel Star reported the existence of an unnamed “mystery witness”—Edward Williams—who was described as having gone to the police “minutes after the shootings.”    Eunice Zeigler was said to have been found at the front of the showroom, her mother in the kitchen.  By now the