Docs: Man accused of murdering WA grandma made detailed plan

Handyman accused of killing WA grandmother

Jeffrey Zizz, the handyman accused of killing and hiding the remains of an 82-year-old Thurston County grandmother, was obsessed with her and had "meticulously planned" her murder, according to court docs.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The handyman accused of murdering and hiding the remains of an 82-year-old Thurston County grandmother was obsessed with her and had "meticulously planned" to break into her home and sexually assault her, according to court docs.

Jeffrey Zizz, 47 — who is also a convicted child molester — is facing charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and unlawful disposal of human remains.

Probable cause documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle revealed Zizz had developed romantic feelings for Marcia Norman, who was reported missing on April 5, before her remains were found buried under a shed on April 9.

Missing WA grandmother

Timeline:

Thurston County deputies were called to Norman's home near McIntosh Lake on April 4 to investigate a missing persons report. Several of Norman's family members were there, as well, who found that Norman had not taken medication since April 1, her wallet was left in the house, her cars were still parked at the residence and several household tasks were left halfway finished. They had called all the local hospitals, but there was no record of Norman being hospitalized.

Those family members were able to get into Norman's Apple ID, and found text messages between her and her handyman, Jeffrey Zizz, showing they planned to have dinner the evening of April 1. She appeared to have no phone activity since April 2.

A previous incident never reported

Deputies learned from Norman's son that there was an incident several months prior — Zizz had entered Norman's home, and she awoke to find him standing at the foot of her bed, according to court docs. She told him it was inappropriate for him to be there and told him to leave.

After that incident, Norman assured her son that she spoke with Zizz and "made it clear to him that they were to keep a professional relationship" and "he was not to cross those boundaries again," court docs say.

This incident was never reported to law enforcement.

Detectives speak with their person-of-interest

Dig deeper:

A deputy went to Zizz's home in Thurston County to speak with him. His red 2023 Ford F-350 was parked on the street, and the deputy learned that a surveillance camera had picked up the truck driving southbound near Lilly Rd and Martin Way E in Olympia at 3:04 a.m. on April, then again at 7:03 a.m.

Authorities say Zizz initially cooperated with deputies. He explained he heard about Norman's disappearance from one of her family members that morning. He also said he had known Norman for about a year through his work as a handyman. He said they became friends, and she let him use part of her detached shop to work on projects and store equipment, court docs say.

When asked about their dinner on April 1, Zizz explained he went to her house to work on some things in the shop first, and then they ate dinner around 5:30. He said he left her home around 8:30 p.m. and got back to his place around 9:00 p.m. — but this did not match the timeline captured by the surveillance camera in Olympia, which he passed at 3:04 a.m. and 7:03 a.m. early the next morning.

Deputies pressed him on this, and Zizz admitted he lied, court docs say, and clarified that he returned to her house about 12:00 a.m. to "collect some tools from the shop" for work the next day. He then claimed he slept for a bit before remembering he also needed to go back and get his trailer from the property around 3:00 a.m.

Deputies then asked him about the previous encounter Norman's son reported, and Zizz admitted that he went into Norman's room while she was sleeping and rubbed her shoulder, court docs say. Zizz told detectives he had romantic thoughts about Norman.

Detectives later spoke with Zizz's roommate, who is the homeowner of the house that Zizz rents a room in.

The roommate showed deputies Ring video of Zizz arriving back at the house around 9:08 p.m. on April 1, with no activity again until 5:46 a.m. the next day when Zizz appeared again to leave for work in the morning. Zizz told deputies he left through the front door each time he left, despite going back to Norman's house twice in the middle of the night.

Deputies then noticed the window screen frame on the outside of his bedroom window was bent, as if it had been removed at some point and damaged.

Zizz's letter details burglary, sexual assault

Authorities finally obtained a search warrant for Zizz's house.

Inside, they found a five-page type letter detailing a "burglary/sexual assault" of an adult woman, identified as "customer."

On April 7, Zizz's roommate emailed detectives and said Zizz had borrowed his truck the previous day and had not returned home. He said he attempted to report the truck stolen and was worried Zizz would harm himself.

Zizz arrest in Idaho, then Montana

Idaho State Police later contacted detectives and informed them that the roommate's truck was found in a rural area on Hwy 12 between Idaho and Missoula, Montana. The truck was damaged and disabled after likely striking an elk. Zizz was not with the vehicle when state police arrived, and showed up several hours later.

A warrant was issued for Zizz for violation of community custody per his child molestation conviction, and he was arrested by police in Missoula.

During his interview with detectives, Zizz said on April 2, he went to work on a shed at a residence in Olympia. He said he rented an excavator and tore down an old shed and load the debris into a trailer. He then said he built a new shed on top of the same spot.

Detectives confirmed with a local company that they lent Zizz an excavator, and GPS tracking showed he went directly to the jobsite before returning the equipment around 12:36 p.m.

Authorities then contacted the owner of the Olympia jobsite location, who explained that Norman recommended Zizz to her, after she discussed needing a new shed. She told detectives that Zizz worked on the new shed from April 2–5, and remembered seeing the excavator there on April 2.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for Zizz's F-350, and brought K9s trained to sniff out human decomposition — their handlers indicated that the odor of human decomposition was detected in the truck bed.

The K9s were then brought to the job site in Olympia, where they detected the same smell around the base of the shed and inside it.

Authorities brought in excavators on April 9 and dug up Norman's remains, found partially encased in concrete.

What's next:

An autopsy conducted on April 10 confirmed they were Norman's remains. They also discovered that black Velcro straps were wrapped around her wrists and ankles, and determined she had been bound prior to death. Officials determined her death was caused by blunt force trauma and penetrating injuries to her head.

What's next:

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office held a press conference Monday afternoon, releasing more information about the case.

Thurston County officials hold press conference on WA grandmother murder arrest

Officials in Thurston County held a press conference Monday regarding the arrest of Jeffrey Zizz, a handyman accused of the murder and kidnapping of 82-year-old Marcia Norman.

Law enforcement said that Marcia suffered for what was likely hours leading up to her death.

"She did not deserve the details you are going to learn about here," said Derek Sanders, Thurston County Sheriff.

Law enforcement honored Marcia Norman Wednesday by remembering her as a kind and loving grandmother with many hobbies and a zest for life.

"Her love of music and art and traveling, and the list goes on and on. She was very clearly a vibrant and thriving person," said Jon Tunheim, Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney.

Which made the results of her autopsy troubling.

"This investigation is one you cannot unsee," said Gary Warnock, Thurston County Coroner.

Even for a coroner with 25 years of experience in the office, her injuries were shocking.

"This is the worst case I’ve witnessed," Warnock said.

"There is sharp force injuries and blunt force trauma, for the blunt force trauma there was no device used, so it could have been a piece of lumber. As far as the sharp force injuries, pneumatic nailer," said Warnock.

Investigators say Marcia was last seen alive April 1 when she had dinner with her handyman Jeffrey Zizz. She was reported missing three days later.

Detectives say Zizz cooperated until he failed a polygraph April 5 and investigators uncovered a disturbing letter at his home.

"A five-page letter planned out burglary and sexual assault of a woman who was referred to as his customer," said Sheriff Sanders.

Sanders says Zizz took a friend’s truck and fled the state, but had to abandon the truck after hitting an elk near the Idaho-Montana border. He was reportedly arrested following a search of nearby hotels and motels.

Meantime, investigators used dogs to search a shed that Zizz built the day after Marcia’s disappearance, indicating there may be human remains. The sheriff’s office says JBLM assisted with ground-penetrating radar, which found an anomaly under the shed.

"We located human remains about 18 inches underground in a shallow grave located with concrete poured over the top," said Sanders.

The sheriff also credits Olympia's "Flock" cameras, which contain automated license plate readers, with a break in the case.

"Whereas Mr. Zizz stated he was home the night Marcia went missing, we actually had conflicting information when his truck was located on a Flock camera," said Sanders.

Zizz is expected to be formally charged on Wednesday.

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