A late-night confrontation outside a Franklin Boulevard bar has now turned into a life-in-prison case for one Sacramento man.
A jury on Friday convicted Joel Zeigler of second-degree murder, attempted murder and three counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm for a 2022 parking-lot shooting that left one man dead and three others wounded. Prosecutors told jurors Zeigler fired seven shots at a man he believed had earlier shot his brother, hitting that man along with three bystanders who were caught in the line of fire.
Conviction and charges
Prosecutors said the trial evidence showed Zeigler pulled the trigger seven times and that one of those rounds killed a victim at the scene. According to a news release cited by KCRA, jurors returned guilty verdicts on second-degree murder, attempted murder and three counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
The shooting and the victim
The shooting broke out shortly after midnight on April 17, 2022, in the parking lot outside Goeman's Bar, now operating as Score Bar & Lounge, on Franklin Boulevard. Deputies and witnesses found multiple people down with gunshot wounds.
The Sacramento Bee reported at the time that 33-year-old Robert Earl Daniel died at the scene, while the other victims survived with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Sentencing and prior-strike allegation
Prosecutors say Zeigler faces a maximum exposure of 123 years to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2026. KCRA reports that the sentencing hearing will also address an allegation that Zeigler has a prior strike conviction for robbery and carjacking, a finding that could significantly increase whatever term the judge ultimately imposes.
Legal implications of a "strike"
Under California's three-strikes rules, qualifying prior convictions can sharply increase prison exposure, often doubling sentences for many second-strike defendants and potentially triggering 25-years-to-life terms for third-strike cases. For a breakdown of how strike allegations, Romero motions and custody credits can factor into sentencing, see the explainer from Shouse Law Group.
Zeigler will remain in custody until the July hearing, where prosecutors, defense attorneys and a judge will hash out his final sentence and whether the prior-strike allegation is found true. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office issued the news release announcing the conviction.
