Handyman Allegedly Killed Elderly Client With Nail Gun

A former pastor convicted of child sex crimes is now charged with kidnapping and murdering an elderly woman, whom he served as handyman. Jeffrey Zizz, 47, from Washington state, allegedly killed 82-year-old Marcia Norman of Tenino before concealing her remains in concrete beneath a shed, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office said Sunday, per NBC News. Norman's family reported her missing April 4 after three days without contact. On April 9, Norman's body was discovered partially encased in concrete beneath a shed Zizz had constructed at a client's property in Olympia, according to the sheriff's office. Her body was bound in long Velcro straps and buried in a shallow grave with concrete poured on top, officials say, per the Olympian.

Amid the investigation, Zizz fled to Montana, where he was taken into custody for an "unrelated sex offense," officials say. He was extradited back to Washington on April 13, booked into Thurston County Jail, and charged with murder, kidnapping, and unlawful disposal of human remains. Authorities believe Zizz killed Norman on April 1 or 2. However, "her onset from injury to death was not instant. It was hours," Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock told reporters on Monday, per the Olympian. He said an autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to Norman's torso and extremities and sharp force injuries on her head, allegedly caused by a pneumatic nail gun.

Warnock told reporters it's "the worst case I've witnessed" in 25 years with the coroner's office. Sheriff Derek Sanders said detectives found an "extremely disturbing" letter in Zizz's home describing a "meticulously planned out burglary and sexual assault" of an adult woman identified as a "customer." However, there is no evidence that Norman was sexually assaulted. Zizz, a former pastor who pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree child molestation in 2022, is due to be arraigned May 6. He was previously sentenced to 104 months behind bars but served only 11 months before entering a treatment program. He may still be required to serve the remainder of that sentence if found to have violated the terms of his conditional release, per NBC. (More murder stories.)