A man was recently found guilty by a jury for the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend after trapping her in a bank drive-thru following their breakup.
The Florida State Attorney’s Office for the 12th Judicial Circuit announced on Nov. 17 that William Tollard was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder for the “brutal slaying” of his ex-girlfriend, identified as Angela Zeigler. Tollard’s mandatory life sentence will be imposed by a judge in the coming weeks.
The incident occurred on the morning of Oct. 5, 2020, at the BB&T bank branch on Pointe Loop Drive, as reported by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Responding to shots fired, deputies found Zeigler, aged 40, deceased in the driver’s seat of a white Jeep in the bank’s drive-thru.
According to reports by WTSP.com Investigations revealed that Tollard followed Zeigler in the drive-thru, intentionally “trapping” her vehicle between his truck and a work van near the teller’s window. Surveillance footage from the bank depicted Tollard approaching Zeigler, engaging in conversation, and then firing three gunshots at close range. He proceeded to walk to her passenger window, firing two more shots.
Zeigler’s Jeep crashed into a light pole around 100 yards away, while Tollard, still armed, returned to his truck in the drive-thru, parking next to Zeigler’s Jeep. The state attorney’s office stated that after parking, Tollard walked back to his ex-girlfriend and “fired several more rounds into her front windshield before driving away.”
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing Tollard shout, “Who the [expletive]do you think you are? You can’t [expletive]do this to me.”
Deputies apprehended Tollard near the scene, where he had a semi-automatic gun, a magazine with eight rounds, and binoculars in his possession.
The state attorney’s office highlighted the turbulent nature of Tollard and Zeigler’s relationship, describing it as “on-again, off-again” for approximately 18 months leading up to the shooting. Zeigler had reportedly ended the relationship five days before the tragic incident.
Assistant State Attorney Karen Fraivillig remarked, “This is a case of a man who would not take no for an answer.”