Guest at woman’s wedding named suspect in 1994 cold case killing, FL cops say

A 1994 homicide case that initially put the wrong man in prison has taken another stark turn, this time with charges against a witness at the 20-year-old victim’s wedding, Florida detectives say.

Michael Ziegler was tracked down in Sept. 4 Covington, Georgia, more than 300 miles from where Tina Heins was killed on April 17, 1994, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“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 said in a Sept. 25 news release.

“It was Tina’s brother-in-law, Chad Heins, who reported her murder. Heins was later convicted of her murder. Nearly 11 years into his life sentence, Heins was released (in 2007) after DNA evidence from the scene did not come back as a match for him.”

The initial investigation found “multiple areas of the apartment were set on fire” the morning of the killing, which triggered a smoke alarm, officials said at a press conference.

Chad Heins told investigators he was asleep in the couple’s living room when the alarm woke him, and he then found his sister-in-law dead on her bed, officials said.

Investigators credited new DNA technology with leading to 52-year-old Ziegler being named a suspect, including evidence found under the victim’s finger nails and on her bed sheets.

Ziegler was a close friend of Hein’s husband and he had served as a witness at the couple’s court house wedding five months before the killing, officials said.

Details of a motive have not been released.

Ziegler is a retired merchant marine and was in the U.S. Navy stationed at Naval Station Mayport when the killing occurred, officials said. He is originally from North Carolina.

Evidence in the case was presented Aug. 28 to a Grand Jury, which indicted Ziegler on a first-degree murder charge, officials said. He was living with his mother when arrested and waived his right to an extradition hearing, officials said.

He also faces a sexual battery charge in the case, according to an arrest report.

Ziegler’s attorney has not yet responded to a message from McClatchy news seeking a comment on his client’s behalf.

“While (the killing) cut Tina’s life short, her legacy lives on,” the sheriff’s office said. “Her family in Wisconsin has established a scholarship in her honor.”

Heins was living with her husband in Mayport, which is an 18-mile drive northeast from Jacksonville.

This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Guest at woman’s wedding named suspect in 1994 cold case killing, FL cops say."