Jeffrey Zizz charged in murder of WA grandmother

Official charges have been filed against Jeffrey Zizz, the Thurston County handyman accused of brutally murdering an 82-year-old grandmother and burying her remains under a shed.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Official charges have been filed against Jeffrey Zizz, the Thurston County handyman accused of brutally murdering an 82-year-old grandmother and burying her remains under a shed.

Zizz, 47, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, one with a ‘premeditated’ designation and the other with a ‘felony murder’ designation. Zizz is also charged with first-degree kidnapping while armed with a deadly weapon, and unlawful disposal of human remains.

Authorities reported 82-year-old Marcia Norman missing on April 5, before eventually finding her remains buried under a shed, partially encased in concrete, on April 9.

Who is Jeffrey Zizz?

The backstory:

Zizz, originally a person of interest in Norman's disappearance, is now the primary suspect.

Zizz worked as a handyman for Norman, whom he developed obsessive, romantic feelings for, according to an interview with detectives as reported in probable cause documents. He was the last person to see Norman before her disappearance, as the two had dinner the evening of April 1.

During their investigation, detectives found discrepancies between Zizz's story and surveillance pictures snapped by Flock cams in Olympia, which appeared to show Zizz's red 2023 Ford F-350 driving back to Norman's home near McIntosh Lake around 3:04 a.m. on April 2, then back again at 7:03 a.m. However, Zizz was not seen on Ring doorbell video at his own residence, suggesting he knocked out the window screen in his room and climbed out the window to avoid being caught on camera, court documents said.

Dig deeper:

Their investigation led them to serving a search warrant at Zizz's home, where detectives say they uncovered a five-page letter detailing a "burglary/sexual assault" of an adult woman, identified as "customer." Zizz shortly after stole his roommate's car and fled the state, court docs say, and he was arrested in Montana for a community custody violation from a previous child molestation conviction.

Prosecutors believe Zizz took Norman's remains to a job site in Olympia where he was contracted to build a shed. Zizz is accused of burying Norman's remains in a shallow grave and then building a shed on top of them.

An autopsy conducted by the Thurston County coroner determined that Norman was bound at the wrists and ankles, assaulted, and ultimately executed with a nail gun.

What's next:

Zizz is expected to be back in court Thursday for a review hearing, and his arraignment is scheduled for May 6.

The Source: Information in this story comes from charging documents from Thurston County Superior Court, as well as previous coverage from FOX 13 Seattle.