The Galveston County Daily News

A jury of nine men and three women began Friday deliberating the fate of Royce Clyde Zeigler II, who is charged with capital murder in the death of his stepdaughter known as Baby Grace.

In closing arguments, defense attorneys pointed to what they said is the lack of evidence connecting Zigler, 26, to the toddler’s death in asking the jury to acquit him of capital murder or a lesser charge of manslaughter.

Prosecutors, however, asked the jurors to use “common sense” when considering all the facts and to convict Zeigler of capital murder in the July 25, 2007, death of 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers.

Zeigler and his wife, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 21, disposed of as much evidence as possible to distance themselves from Sawyers’ homicide, Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said.

Trenor was convicted Feb. 2 of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole for killing her daughter. Sawyers died of injuries from three skull fractures, testimony revealed. Sistrunk said the injuries occurred during a daylong disciplinary session that went bad.

Sistrunk gave the jury a list of lies told by Zeigler.

Nellie Zeigler, Royce Zeigler’s mother, last saw Sawyers July 23, 2007, and when she asked about the toddler, the couple first told relatives that Sawyers was with a friend. They then presented a fake Ohio child protective services letter saying the agency took Sawyers.

“The worst of all was that grandmother Sheryl Sawyers paid somebody to come kidnap her,” Sistrunk said.

Zeigler admitted to authorities he stored Sawyers’ body in a box in his carport for weeks and then dumped her body in Galveston Bay. A fisherman found her decomposed body Oct. 29, 2007, and sheriff’s investigators called the girl Baby Grace until learning her identity 26 days later.

“They’re asking you to put this kid in jail for the rest of his life,” Dena Fisher, one of Zeigler’s defense attorneys, said. “They’ve got evidence of tampering with evidence but don’t have the smoking gun.”

The person that did this was tried and convicted of capital murder, and she’s sitting in prison, Dee McWilliams, another of Zeigler’s attorneys, said.

McWilliams showed the jury a transcript of his questioning of FBI Special Agent Don C. Gay, who was present during a videotaped interview with Zeigler.

“I had my beliefs,” Gay said when McWilliams asked whether there was any evidence Zeigler killed Sawyers.

“At that point, no,” Gay answered.

If the standard of Galveston County is that two people can kill a person and dispose of the evidence, we’ve got a lot of people we need to let out of jail, Sistrunk said.

“It’s what murderers do,” Sistrunk said of disposing evidence. “It’s what killers do.”