New witness reported in 1991
slaying

By Purvette A. Bryant
of the Sentinel Staff

Published in The Orlando Sentinel on November 02, 2000 

DAYTONA BEACH -- Attorneys for Virginia
Larzelere, convicted of hiring someone to shoot her
husband to death in his dental office, say they have an
eyewitness who can prove her innocence and they want
a judge to hear the new evidence.

The unidentified man, who was a high school student at
the time, backs up Virginia Larzelere`s original
testimony. She said she saw a fleeing car that differed
from the one other witnesses reported seeing.

While Virginia Larzelere was convicted of being the
mastermind in a plot to kill her husband, the defense
contends he died during a robbery that went bad.

Tampa attorney Harry Brody asked Circuit Judge Jack
Watson on Wednesday to grant a hearing that would
allow testimony from the new witness and from
Larzelere`s son, Jason, who earlier took the Fifth
Amendment and never testified.

Brody hopes to win a new trial for the convicted
woman, who now sits on death row.

In 1992, Virginia Larzelere was found guilty of
first-degree murder in the killing of Dr. Norman
Larzelere in his Edgewater office on March 8, 1991.
Evidence showed she had taken out insurance policies
on the dentist worth $2.1 million.

Jason Larzelere, who was accused of conspiring with his
mother to kill his stepfather, was acquitted. The
27-year-old naval officer, who attended the two-hour
hearing, said the new evidence would clear his mother of
all charges.

``I think it`s about time the prosecutors and everyone
involved own up to the facts and how inappropriately
things were handled [at his mother`s trial]," Jason
Larzelere said outside the courthouse annex building.
``No physical evidence has connected her to the crime."

Assistant State Attorney Chris Lerner of Orlando told
the judge Virginia Larzelere has no basis for another
hearing. He called the defense motion a ``fishing
expedition."

Watson didn`t set a date for a ruling.

During a break in the hearing, Gary McDaniel, a private
investigator who`s gathered evidence on the Larzelere
case from the beginning, said a young man came
forward last year. The man, who was a teenager at the
time of the shooting, said he saw the fleeing car that day,
but it was a Toyota Corolla, not a Nissan Maxima,
according to court records. The man said he didn`t
come forward when he first saw the case in news
reports because his mother told him not to get involved,
McDaniel said. Now the mother and son are willing to
testify, he said.

Posted Nov 1 2000 10:20PM

From the Desk of Gary J. McDaniel

UPDATE: November 7, 2000

Re: Response to emails
Subject: 3-Hour-Defense / Known Killers

See, http://wwwHelpVirginia.com I have worked this case pro-bono since May 1991, the defendants trial counsel John Howes (FT. Lauderdale) & Jack Wilkins(Bartow) declined to use the original private investigative material. Because it required them to summon at least 15 witnesses and as many as 40. They
presented a 3 hour defense case, calling 4, 15 minute witnesses, before resting. On the other hand the state called approximately 46 witnesses over a 4 week trial, none of which had anything to say accept the 2 immunitized witnesses HEIDLE/PALMERI. There was no physical evidence, merely innuendo and reportedly statements that Virginia requested persons to kill her husband. Motive being insurance monies. 

Working with a more skilled defense attorney (William Lasley of WPB) we were successful in proving the innocence of Jason Larzeler in a subsequent trial. Since 1994, I have developed information and gathered evidence to prove the identity of
the perpetrators. Unfortunately the state will not review nor consider the evidence. Proving that this countries Judicial System is seriously flawed, being that proof of
innocence is not accepted nor considered, aside from the fact the state has sentenced to death someone else.

Please consider the facts and offer any suggestions at anytime. We know the killers, motive and have at least 3 witnesses to cooperate the facts. How do we get the state to listen?

VOTE TODAY

Gary J. McDaniel
Pretext Services inc.  
pretextpi@bellsouth.net  

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