A suspect has been arrested in connection with the 1994 murder of Tina Heins, a case that initially led to the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of her brother-in-law, Chad Heins. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced that Michael Ziegler, 52, was taken into custody on September 4 in Covington, Georgia.
Heins was killed on April 17, 1994. According to authorities, “She had been stabbed more than two dozen times. Tina was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed. Her husband was on duty at Naval Station Mayport when she was killed,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release.
The initial investigation found evidence of arson at the crime scene; several areas of the apartment had been set on fire and a smoke alarm triggered. Chad Heins reported discovering his sister-in-law dead after being awakened by the alarm while sleeping in the living room.
Chad Heins was convicted for Tina’s murder but released after serving nearly eleven years in prison when DNA evidence failed to match him.
Investigators credited advances in DNA technology for identifying Ziegler as a suspect. Authorities say new analysis revealed his DNA under Tina’s fingernails and on her bed sheets. At the time of the killing, Ziegler—originally from North Carolina—was serving in the U.S. Navy at Naval Station Mayport and had recently acted as a witness at Tina and her husband’s courthouse wedding five months before her death.
A Grand Jury indicted Ziegler on charges of first-degree murder following an August 28 presentation of evidence. He also faces a sexual battery charge related to the case. When apprehended at his mother’s residence, he waived extradition proceedings.
Ziegler is described as a retired merchant marine whose attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
“While (the killing) cut Tina’s life short, her legacy lives on,” said the sheriff’s office. “Her family in Wisconsin has established a scholarship in her honor.”
Tina Heins resided with her husband near Mayport, approximately eighteen miles northeast of Jacksonville.
