Port Charlotte Man Convicted for Fatal Shooting of Angela Ziegler at Venice Bank

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Port Charlotte Man Found Guilty of Fatally Shooting Former Girlfriend at Venice Bank

A Port Charlotte man, William Tollard, was convicted on Friday for the first-degree premeditated murder of his former girlfriend, Angela Ziegler. The tragic incident occurred at the former BB&T bank in Venice in October 2020. Tollard, 50, was found guilty by a 12-person jury following a five-day trial. Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Thomas Krug adjudicated Tollard guilty after the verdict was delivered.

According to the news release from the 12th Judicial State Attorney’s Office, Krug will impose a mandatory life sentence on Tollard in the coming weeks. The conviction brings some measure of closure to the family and loved ones of Angela Ziegler.

The fatal shooting took place on the morning of October 5, 2020, at the BB&T bank located on 160 Pointe Loop Drive in Venice. Witnesses at the scene reported seeing Tollard approach Ziegler’s white Jeep while she was in the drive-thru line. Tollard positioned his truck behind Ziegler’s vehicle, trapping her between his truck and a work van at the teller’s window.

Video surveillance footage revealed that Tollard exited his truck and walked up to the driver’s side of Ziegler’s car. After a brief conversation, he fired three shots at her. Tollard then moved to the passenger side window and fired two more shots. The Jeep drove forward for about 100 yards before crashing into a light pole in the bank’s parking lot.

Eyewitnesses reported that Tollard continued firing at the Jeep, even as it came to a stop. He shouted, “Who the (expletive) do you think you are? You can’t (expletive) do this to me.” The brutal nature of the attack shocked the community and left them mourning the loss of Angela Ziegler.

Tollard was arrested a short distance away from the bank at Jacaranda and Sklar Drive. Investigators found a semi-automatic firearm, a magazine with 8 rounds, and a pair of binoculars on the front passenger seat of his truck. Tollard’s defense team initially planned to use a mental health defense other than insanity, claiming that he had taken lawfully prescribed medications that rendered him involuntarily intoxicated and resulted in insanity. However, the defense amended its strategy just a week before the trial.

Assistant State Attorney Karen Fraivillig, the lead prosecutor on the case, expressed gratitude towards the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Detective Carlos Verdoni and other investigators who worked diligently on the case. Through Verdoni’s investigation, it was discovered that Tollard and Ziegler had a tumultuous relationship that lasted for about 18 months. Ziegler had broken off the relationship just five days before the fatal shooting.

In a statement, Fraivillig said, “After downloading the defendant’s phone records, detectives uncovered overwhelming evidence of Tollard’s guilt, including dozens of manipulative text messages to the victim, her estranged husband, and other members of her family. The evidence established Tollard’s determination to seek revenge for being spurned by Angela Ziegler. This is a case of a man who would not take no for an answer…a classic and ultimately tragic replaying of ‘If I can’t have her, no one can’.”

Jonathan Ziegler, listed as Angela Ziegler’s husband, has filed a civil lawsuit against Tollard for wrongful death on behalf of her estate. The lawsuit, which was filed in November 2021, seeks damages in excess of $30,000. Tollard’s attorney filed a motion for a limited stay regarding requests for discovery by Jonathan Ziegler’s attorney in March 2021, citing his involvement in the criminal proceeding. The motion was granted by Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Stephen Walker in June 2022, pending the conclusion of the criminal trial.

The conviction of William Tollard brings a sense of justice to the friends and family of Angela Ziegler. The tragic incident serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence and the importance of addressing abusive relationships..