A Florida man convicted of killing an 11-year-old girl and her babysitter let his lawyer know how he felt about him by elbowing him in the face hours before being sentenced to death, as seen in the above video from WBBH Fort Myers.
In the video shared online by the NBC News affiliate on Monday, Joseph Zieler is seen attending a hearing in a Florida courtroom when he asked to speak with his attorney Kevin Shirley. As the lawyer leaned over to hear what his handcuffed client had to say, Zieler started talking, then swung his elbow and clocked Shirley across the face. The assault happened before bailiffs took Zieler out.
Bailiffs wasted no time in tackling Zieler as Shirley said he was okay, and told the judge that he used to box so he’s taken much harder hits than what his client had waiting for him. He also told NBC News that he had no clue why Zieler attacked him.
The judge handed down the death sentence Monday after the jury recommended it last month by a 10-2 vote.