The Galveston County Daily News

GALVESTON — Royce Clyde Zeigler II was kindhearted, loving and caring, so much so that his friends were shocked to learn he’d been charged with capital murder in the death of a child, testimony revealed Wednesday.

Zeigler, 26, is accused of killing 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers in the Spring home he shared with his wife and co-defendant, Kimberly Dawn Trenor.

Trenor, 21, was convicted Feb. 2 of capital murder in her daughter’s death, which came slowly after a daylong disciplinary session left her with three skull fractures, testimony in the couple’s trials revealed.

All but two of the nine witnesses called Wednesday to testify in Zeigler’s defense were friends or former co-workers.

Prosecution witnesses, namely two people who worked with Zeigler for about six months until his arrest, had nicknames for Zeigler — Psycho and creepy. Their descriptions of the man who admitted to authorities he concealed and dumped Sawyers’ body in Galveston Bay are polar opposites of seven defense witnesses, many of whom knew Zeigler for years.

High School Pal Testifies

Reed Emerson went to high school with Zeigler and spent a lot of time with him studying and playing.

Zeigler helped Emerson land a job at his company, testimony revealed. Emerson described his encounters with Zeigler and Trenor, namely, how Trenor ignored Sawyers.

One day, Riley was playing kick ball with Emerson’s children. She missed the ball, fell to the ground and scratched her knee, Emerson testified.

“I jumped at her, trying to catch her,” Emerson said. “Royce came to see her, but Kim sat on the couch, paying no attention.”

Emerson found that odd and said he didn’t care very much for Trenor. Dena Fisher, one of Zeigler’s attorneys, asked Emerson whether he believed Zeigler was capable of murdering a child.

Prosecutor Kayla Allen objected, and Fisher asked Emerson how he saw Zeigler interact with Sawyers.

“He was always carrying her, buying her presents, taking her to play games,” Emerson said. “He was very loving.”

Prosecution: Kindhearted?

Allen fired back with a series of questions about Zeigler’s admissions during videotaped interviews with authorities.

“Royce said in statements that he wrapped the body up in a plastic container and put it in the storage shed,” Allen told Emerson. “Do you consider that kindhearted?”

Emerson painted Zeigler as shy, but Allen showed the jury in Judge David Garner’s 10th District Court photos of Trenor and Zeigler appearing to have fun at a company picnic. Zeigler had a margarita and the couple played softball just 10 days after Sawyers’ July 25, 2007, death.

“Do you think a good-hearted person walks by a storage facility for three weeks?” Allen said. “You said he was very loving. Do you think throwing a child into Galveston Bay is very loving?”

Fisher asked Emerson whether he approved of Zeigler’s admission to storing and dumping Sawyers’ body.

“I was a little horrified by it,” Emerson said.

Emerson also testified he knew Zeigler to be a “neat freak.”

When Emerson went to Zeigler’s apartment to help him move into the couple’s rented home in Spring, he found dirty diapers stuffed in closets.

The apartment was trashed, Emerson said, blaming the condition on Trenor.

‘I Was Shocked’

Melanie Allard testified Wednesday she moved next door to Zeigler’s family in 2001 and was a friend of the defendant.

Neal Davis III, another of Zeigler’s attorney’s, asked Allard whether she was surprised when she heard the defendant was arrested.

“I was more than surprised,” Allard said. “I was shocked.”

Despite Zeigler’s admission to dumping Sawyers’ body in the bay, Allard testified she still didn’t believe Zeigler did it.

“He’s a very, sweet, caring person,” Allard said. “It’s beyond my imagination.”

‘He’s A Sissy’

Donato Musto, who knew Zeigler from his high school years, testified about Zeigler being beaten during an altercation.

“I don’t remember what it was about, but I remember Hiram (Zeigler’s brother) calling me,” Musto said. “Royce was crying. He’d been beaten up pretty bad.”

Davis asked Musto of his opinion of Zeigler.

“Sorry Royce,” Musto said, smiling on the witness stand. “He’s a sissy. He wasn’t a mean guy. He’d do anything for you.”

Covering up a crime was not in Zeigler’s personality, Musto said.

“Royce is not the kind of person that would be involved in something like that,” Musto said. “Knowing Royce all these years, he’s not the kind of guy that would murder somebody.”

‘Seen Him Use A Shovel?’

Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk sarcastically asked Musto whether Royce suffered three skull fractures from the beating.

“How many times did he say he was sick of going in and out of public with Riley running amok?” Sistrunk asked. “How many times did he say he just couldn’t stand it anymore?”

Sistrunk grabbed replicas of items prosecutors say were used to dispose of Sawyers’ body.

“Ever seen him use a shovel?” Sistrunk asked. “Ever see him use Clorox for anything in your presence? Gloves?”

Emerson Process Management employees found Zeigler unprofessional, lazy and said he was late to work and home sick too often.

Employees at Service Corporation International, which manages funeral homes, complemented Zeigler’s worth ethic.

Zeigler left there and worked at Emerson when he was arrested. Sherry Peralez worked with Zeigler for a year at SCI.

He was a diligent worker, she said.

Dee McWilliams, Zeigler’s third attorney, asked her what nickname she would give him.

“Teddy bear,” Peralez said.

‘Wouldn’t Hurt A Flea’

Kathryn Nelson, another of Zeigler’s SCI co-workers, called Royce a gentleman and gentle giant.

“He’s not the most handsome guy?” Fisher asked.

“He has an ominous look,” Nelson said. “Docile, but he’s extremely gentle ... I’d call him socially awkward.”

Evelyn Rollins, Zeigler’s supervisor at SCI, testified that knowing all the accusations against the defendant, she would hire him back.

“I know he wouldn’t hurt a flea,” Rollins said.

It was Zeigler’s nature to take care of everybody in the office, Eldora M. Bunton, the defendant’s former co-worker, testified.

Investigation ‘Lacking?’

Zeigler’s defense from the beginning questioned why sheriff’s investigators chose not to interview Zeigler’s closest friends and SCI co-workers.

McWilliams called private investigator H.L. Mayer, a retired 28-year veteran of the Houston police department, who’d worked several homicides.

Mayer found a notebook with three pages of Trenor’s story of a fake encounter with an Ohio child protective services worker.

Trenor and Zeigler eventually admitted the worker didn’t come to Spring and forcibly remove Sawyers from the house.

McWilliams asked Mayer whether, if he were running the homicide investigation, he would want to send off all handwriting evidence to the FBI for analysis and would he want to interview people who knew Zeigler for more than six months to get a better understanding of the defendant’s personality.

“If an investigation doesn’t do that, is it lacking?” McWilliams asked. “I think it would be,” Mayer said. “You’ve got to talk to people.”

Sistrunk defended investigators, saying they pulled reports from Harris County authorities, and flew to Mentor, Ohio, to interview Trenor’s family and others.

The defense is expected to call at least one additional witness today, having filed a subpoena Wednesday for Patrick Cherry, a Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constable.

The defense isn’t saying whether Zeigler will testify.