Judge denies bail in Tenino homicide. ‘Worst case I’ve witnessed,’ coroner says
A 47-year-old man accused of killing a Tenino woman earlier this month is being held in the Thurston County jail without bail.
Jeffrey Zizz attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court Monday afternoon.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rosemary Fitzgerald alleged Zizz killed Marcia Norman, 82, on or about April 1-2 and buried her remains under a shed in Olympia before fleeing the state. Sheriff’s deputies booked Zizz into the jail Sunday on suspicion of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and unlawful disposal of human remains.
“The allegations before the court today are shocking, both in their nature and that the alleged victim was an 82-year-old woman, a member of this community who the defendant over a two-year period befriended and knew lived alone,” Fitzgerald said.
The Sheriff’s Office previously described Zizz as Norman’s handyman. Court records indicate Norman’s body was found at a jobsite in Olympia where Zizz had been constructing a shed for an elderly female client.
Fitzgerald said Norman’s body was found bound in long, black velcro straps. Her cause of death was determined to be “blunt force trauma as well as penetrating injuries to her head,” according to court records.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson found probable cause for the alleged crimes and ordered Zizz to be held without bail. In doing so, she determined Zizz had a propensity for violence that creates a substantial likelihood of danger to the community as well as individuals.
“The allegations here are among the most serious and very troubling in terms of the prepared plan in advance and then the execution,” Wilson said.
Additionally, Wilson ordered Zizz not to violate the law, leave the state or possess firearms. She also barred him from contacting Norman’s family.
Public Defense Attorney Eli Duncan represented Zizz for the preliminary hearing. She said her communication with Zizz had been limited as of Monday and acknowledged the seriousness of the case. Still, she asked the court to set some sort of bond.
“Mr. Zizz is only the accused,” Duncan said. “Nothing has been proven in court.”
Zizz has been in the county jail since April 13 when he was extradited from Montana for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence in a separate Thurston County child molestation case. He also is being held without bail in that case.
“The defendant was not arrested in Thurston County but in Montana, and only after the tireless work of law enforcement agencies from here to Idaho and Montana where he was eventually located,” Fitzgerald said.
Wilson scheduled Zizz’s arraignment hearing for Tuesday, May 6.
Sheriff, Prosecutor and Coroner hold news conference
At a news conference late Monday afternoon, Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock told reporters that Norman suffered reoccurring and compounding injuries while she was still alive.
“Her onset from injury to death was not instant,” Warnock said. “It was hours.”
An autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to her torso and extremities as well as sharp force injuries on her head, Warnock said.
“In our line of work, we see and witness many things, and this investigation is one you cannot unsee,” Warnock said. “I’ve been with the coroner’s office for nearly 25 years, and 19 years as coroner, and this is the worst case I’ve witnessed.”
Warnock said there was no clear pattern to the blunt force injuries that point to what device or weapon was used. However, he did reveal that the sharp force injuries were caused by a pneumatic nail gun.
When asked if she was tortured, Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim said he thought Norman’s injuries could be consistent with torture but he declined to say that conclusively.
“It’s hard to say, based on what we know right now, that that was exactly what happened,” Tunheim said. “But because these injuries happened over a course of time, I think that’s a possible inference from the evidence.”
Sheriff Derek Sanders said detectives found Norman’s body on April 9 in a shallow grave, about 18 inches underground with concrete poured over the top.
Five days earlier, detectives searched Zizz’s residence with a warrant and seized a five-page typed letter.
Sanders said the letter described a “meticulously planned out burglary and sexual assault” of an adult woman, who was identified as a “customer.” He called the letter “extremely disturbing.”
When asked to expand on the letter, Sanders said it had some similarities to the events that unfolded in this case. However, he declined to elaborate further amid the ongoing investigation.
Warnock said there was no evidence Norman was sexually assaulted, but he noted that certain tests had not come back yet.
Sanders also was asked what motive Zizz may have had.
“It’s always hard to come up with a motive,” Sanders said. “You find a lot of things in law enforcement. You usually find out who, what, when, where, how. ‘Why’ is something that we don’t always get an answer to.
“But if I had to guess at this point in time, it’s because the suspect we have in custody is a violent person.”
Court records, Sanders detail investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Norman’s death from the perspective of law enforcement.
Deputies responded to Norman’s Tenino home on April 4 after her son reported her missing.
Family members went to check on Norman that day after several friends told them Norman had missed several routine obligations. Norman was not inside the home and the residence was undisturbed.
Notably, her daily medication organizer indicated she had not taken her medication since April 1. Her wallet was still at the home and all her vehicles were still parked at the residence. Only her cell phone was missing.
Family members accessed Norman’s Apple account and saw text messages between her and Zizz, who worked as her handyman and stored some equipment on her property. The messages revealed the two of them planned to have dinner April 1 at her home.
During the investigation, detectives learned about an incident involving Zizz that occurred several months prior. She reportedly told her son that she awoke to Zizz standing at the foot of her bed in the middle of the night.
She told Zizz it was inappropriate for him to be there and that he needed to leave. She later made it clear he was to keep a professional boundary with her.
The incident was not reported to law enforcement at the time.
Deputies used Olympia’s Flock Safety camera system, an automated license plate reader, to see if it ever pinged Zizz’s truck.
The system returned two results from April 2. At about 3:02 a.m., the truck was captured going south in the intersection of Lilly Road and Martin Way East in Olympia. Later at 7:03 a.m., his vehicle was captured at the same location.
In the latter image, deputies observed a large round garbage can with a black garbage liner in the bed of his truck. The former image was darker, but deputies believed it still showed a similar large object in the truck.
Detectives contacted Zizz early in the investigation. He told them he had dinner with Norman on April 1 and left her home at around 8:30 p.m. He said he went to bed and did not leave again until the next morning.
This narrative contradicted what the Flock Safety camera system captured, so a detective pressed him further about his whereabouts.
Zizz then said he did return to Norman’s home twice that night to collect tools and a trailer that he needed for a job the next day.
Detectives also asked Zizz about the incident in which he woke Norman in the middle of the night. He told detectives he rubbed her shoulder to speak with her and he was told to leave.
He said that he did have romantic thoughts about Norman, according to the statement.
On April 5, detectives seized Zizz’s truck and searched his residence with a warrant. During the search they found the five-page letter that allegedly planned out a burglary and sexual assault of an elderly woman.
On April 7, detectives learned from Zizz’s roommate that Zizz borrowed their truck on April 6 and he did not return to their residence for the night.
A Washington State Department of Corrections warrant was issued for Zizz’s arrest because his disappearance violated the conditions of his suspended sentence in a 2022 child molestation case.
That same day, Idaho State Troopers told detectives that they found the missing truck near the Montana border. The truck reportedly appeared to have struck an elk and became disabled. Zizz was not with the vehicle at the time.
Later that day, the Sheriff’s Office learned the Missoula Police Department in Montana had contacted and arrested Zizz at a hotel.
Also on April 7, detectives used specially trained cadaver dogs from King County to search the jobsite where Zizz had been constructing a shed for an elderly female client, Sanders said Monday.
“The dogs showed some interest, but did not give a clear yes or no at that time.” Sanders said.
Detectives first learned about the jobsite from Zizz during his initial interview on April 2, according to the statement.
Four days later, detectives contacted the owner of the property. She told detectives that Norman recommended Zizz to her when they discussed her need for a new shed.
Zizz reportedly started working on the jobsite on April 2 with an excavator and continued working on it through April 6.
On April 8, K9 dogs searched the property again. This time, two out of three dogs alerted their handlers to the odor of human composition around the base of the shed, Sanders said.
A ground penetrating radar device from Joint Base Lewis McChord found an anomaly below the shed, Sanders said.
That same day, the cadaver dogs also searched Zizz’s truck and picked up the scent of human remains.
On April 9, the Sheriff’s Office lifted the shed with power equipment and located remains buried underneath.
The next day, an autopsy identified the remains as Norman. She was found with long, black Velcro straps around her wrists and ankles, and there was evidence she had been bound prior to her death.
Sanders thanked his deputies and detectives as well as other agencies for assisting in the investigation. He said they all acted with significant dedicate to the job.
“I think this is a good example of how we can’t bring Marcia back, but we can seek out justice for her family,” Sanders said.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM.
