Latest news with #Zeppi
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Bradenton woman sentenced to jail, probation for hit-and-run that killed ‘Peace Walker'
The Brief Teresa Zeppi has been sentenced to 364 days in jail and five years probation for a deadly hit-and-run in Manatee County. Zeppi hit Joseph Dralus, Sr., 82, also known as the "Peace Walker," in April 2020. He died less than a month later. In March, a jury convicted Zeppi of leaving the scene of a crash with death. BRADENTON, Fla. - The Manatee County woman convicted in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Bradenton man known by neighbors as the "Peace Walker" will not go to prison, instead receiving a 364-day jail sentence and five years probation. The backstory Teresa Zeppi was behind the wheel of her Lincoln Navigator when she hit Joseph Dralus, Sr., 82, in April 2020. Dralus, who became known as the "Peace Walker" for flashing the peace sign to passersby during walks through his neighborhood, died less than a month later. It took two years for detectives to arrest Zeppi. Investigators said she didn't immediately stop following the crash, eventually pulling over about 500 feet down the road. Prosecutors showed jurors home security video they said shows Zeppi checking her vehicle for damage, then leaving the scene. Dig deeper Both of Dralus' sons testified at trial, explaining their part in the investigation to jurors. Christopher Dralus said he provided investigators with his father's toothbrush and hairbrush for DNA comparisons. "Initially I was going to provide them his ashes, but I was told... they weren't able to get DNA from ashes, so they asked if I could come up with a hairbrush, toothbrush, anything with his DNA on it, which I knew I could come up with a toothbrush and a hairbrush," Christopher Dralus said on the stand. "He was a very hard worker, provided for his family, loved his family very much and loved being outdoors, as my brother had stated earlier and loved to do his walks on a daily basis." Prosecutors also said Zeppi's vehicle had front-end damage and DNA taken from the SUV matched the victim's. "The swabs from the hood slash fender, the swabs from the headlight and the swabs from the passenger side bumper all had DNA that I was able to make interpretations and comparisons to," said Kaleigh Brownell, a DNA analyst for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In early March, Zeppi was found guilty of leaving the scene of a crash with death. RELATED: Bradenton woman found guilty in deadly 'Peace Walker' hit-and-run crash What's next Zeppi will serve her 364-day jail sentence with credit for time served, followed by five years probation. In addition, Zeppi must serve 120 hours of community service at a trauma center or hospital that treats victims of accidents, and her driver's license will be suspended for five years. What they're saying The Dralus family released a statement after Thursday's sentencing hearing, saying: "We generally appreciate the state's effort and the Manatee County court. The Dralus family wants to thank the neighbors, family and friends [who supported us] throughout the process." Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story came from a court hearing on April 10, 2025, with additional details from previous FOX 13 News reports. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Interview: Meet the Somerset councillor who used to be a professional actor
You may well have seen Taunton councillor Giuseppe Fraschini on TV without realising it, writes Phil Hill. In his younger days he was a budding actor based in London, appearing in adverts and voiceovers for big companies such as Paddy Power, McDonald's, Tassimo, and Asda. He appeared in several London stage productions, including Snow White in Leicester Square, and took part in the industrial revolution sketch at the 2012 London Olympics. Zeppi, as he is informally known, was born in Switzerland to his English mother and Italian father. He recalled: "We lived in the Swiss mountains, but by the time I was one, my mum became homesick. "My granddad, who was Somerset's chief fire officer, travelled to pick us up in a caravan." After being educated at Creech St Michael Primary School, Heathfield School, and the former SCAT, he studied performing arts at Bath Spa University, where he caught the acting bug and moved to the capital for five years after graduating. "I moved back to Taunton in 2015," Zeppi said. "I got elected as a Conservative to Somerset County Council for North Taunton in 2017, despite being late to the running just six weeks before. "I campaigned really hard, got to know all the local issues, and won by 45 votes. "I hadn't expected to win, but if you fight to fix what really matters to residents, they tend to put their trust in you. "I loved the role and gave up a lot to do it. "I was a junior cabinet member for adult social care. "I loved helping people, getting extra care packages for them during the pandemic. "But, when the new Somerset Council was setting up in 2022, I lost by approximately 200 votes. "It was hard to lose. "People were saying they loved my work for the area but couldn't vote for me because of Partygate, which I understood even if I wasn't involved with that." When the new 20-member Taunton Town Council was created in 2023, Zeppi was elected to represent Maidenbrook. The other 19 councillors are all Liberal Democrats. He added: "That's not great, but it would have been horrific if they'd all been Lib Dems and there was no opposition to hold them to account. "It's very frustrating and difficult at times, although I'm very vocal if I'm not happy with something. "My hope for the next town council election is that there are more voices for whichever political parties. "For the moment, I'm trying to fight for Maidenbrook." Zeppi says the original plan was for the council to cover the unparished area - mainly around the town centre that did not previously have its own parish council. He accuses the Lib Dems of "completely engineering it" to include the whole town and new estates on the outskirts. "A consultation in Maidenbrook showed approximately 90 per cent wanted to remain as part of Cheddon Fitzpaine Parish Council and there was a lot of anger when that was ignored," said Zeppi. "We had a great community under Cheddon Fitzpaine Parish Council and now the council tax precept has risen 793 per cent in just three years." He proudly claims he won a battle in the first town council meeting by successfully challenging plans for a £70,000 electric van for the town warden. "There were few details and I discovered it didn't have enough power to carry or pull anything," added Zeppi. "We all want to save the planet, but you need the infrastructure to do it. "The council ended up buying a hybrid van for £35,000. "There have been policies put forward that I've said just don't stack up, but I will support policies that do. "One of the first things I put forward was that the meetings should be webcast as we need to be open and transparent." Zeppi spends much of his spare time with his six-year-old son Federico and running a Sunday league football team in Maidenbrook that was set up to get young dads active and socialising. He was for a time marketing director with Taunton Town Football Club and had his own fire protection business, which he relinquished to concentrate on his council work. When asked about his plans for the future, he said: "If the opportunity were to ever arise one day, I would love to support and represent my home town as MP for Taunton and Wellington."
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘Peace for the Peace Walker': Jury finds Bradenton woman guilty in deadly hit-and-run crash
BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A jury found Teresa Zeppi guilty as charged for leaving the scene of a crash involving death. Deliberations took less than three hours Thursday afternoon. Her two daughters were seen hugging and crying shortly after a deputy walked Zeppi out of the courtroom. Oldsmar mother charged with murdering her own baby, detectives say 'I am sure they are in shock and hurt right now. This is a tight knit family. This is a wonderful woman. This lady is a compassionate and loving woman, and it is disappointing,' said Defense Attorney Brett McIntosh after the verdict. 'We are disappointed. We are going to move onto the sentencing hearing now and after the sentencing hearing, we think we have some valid grounds for appeal. We will be filing the appeals, and we will be moving forward. This fight is not over, never over.' The victim's sons were not in the courtroom during the verdict. Joseph Dralus Jr. spoke with News Channel 8. 'We're very satisfied today and feel like it was fair. No more no less,' said Dralus Jr. About two weeks ago, Dralus reached out to News Channel 8 as prosecutors were going to offer Zeppi a plea deal. Now Dralus said there was a misunderstanding of the intent of the plea deal because the State Attorney's Office was concerned the family may not get anything at all. Dralus Jr. said he wasn't to be all in or all out, and that they were never o.k. with a plea of any kind. 'Hey dad, we fought for you, you know, and we won. The 'Peace Walker' has peace.' The hit-and-run crash took place in April 2020. Joseph Dralus Sr. was walking near his Bradenton home when he was struck by an SUV. During the trial, an analyst with FDLE testified that DNA on the fender/hood of Zeppi's Lincoln Navigator matched the DNA that came from one of Dralus' toothbrushes. Former Tampa attorney sent back to U.S. to serve 9-year sentence for child sex crimes 'He left his DNA on the vehicle in the same location where he was struck. What did we hear evidence of from the expert? That the DNA on the hood of the Lincoln Navigator is 44 octillion times more likely to originate from Mr. Dralus than a stranger,' said Assistant State Attorney Michael Anolfo. 'The motive is as clear as day. The motive is she thought she could get away with it. The motive is the same reason why her vehicle was in her own driveway. She thought she could get away with it.' Zeppi's defense questioned how the DNA ended up on her vehicle, speculating that the two may have crossed paths since they live nearby one another. 'Is it an imaginary doubt or an imaginary idea that these two could cross paths, that she could cross someplace where he had just walked, that he walked by her, could have been coughing, spitting, and particulars end up on the hood of the car,' said Defense attorney Brett McIntosh to the jury during his closing arguments. The defense also reminded the jury of the lack of damage to Zeppi's vehicle and criticized the law enforcement investigation. 'There was so much information that was lacking that we were never going to be able to get. And frankly information that probably would've exonerated her,' said McIntosh. 'That's what happens when investigations are done poorly from the beginning. People get convicted and maybe they shouldn't be convicted, and we'll just never know unfortunately.' Dralus said the defense is doing their job by filing the appeal. He said he and his family will be there to follow through, in honor of the man who always came through for them. 'We got you dad,' said Dralus. 'Northwest Bradenton, the community, the Peace Walker community has never wavered, and the Dralus family says thank you, we appreciate you guys.' In the end, Zeppi was found guilty as charged. She could face up to 30 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Both sides present case in trial against woman accused of killing Bradenton ‘Peace Walker' in crash
The Brief Closing statements are scheduled for Thursday in the trial against a woman accused in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Bradenton man known as the "Peace Walker." Manatee County prosecutors and the suspect's defense attorneys finished calling witnesses on Wednesday. The jury is expected to begin deliberating after closing statements are finished. BRADENTON, Fla. - Closing statements are scheduled to take place on Thursday in the trial of a woman accused in a hit-and-run that killed a Bradenton man known by neighbors as the "Peace Walker." Manatee County prosecutors and defense attorneys for Teresa Zeppi finished calling witnesses on Wednesday, as both sides made it clear what story they hope the jury believes. RELATED: Testimony begins in trial of woman accused of killing Bradenton man known as "Peace Walker" The backstory Florida Highway Patrol investigators have said Zeppi was behind the wheel of her Lincoln Navigator when she hit Joseph Dralus, Sr., 82, in April 2020. Dralus died less than a month later. It took two years for FHP to arrest Zeppi. Investigators said she didn't immediately stop following the crash, eventually pulling over about 500 feet down the road. Prosecutors showed jurors home security video the State said shows Zeppi checking her vehicle for damage, before leaving the scene. Dig deeper Both of Dralus' sons testified during the trial, explaining their part in the investigation. Christopher Dralus said he provided investigators with his father's toothbrush and hairbrush for DNA comparisons. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube "Initially I was going to provide them his ashes, but I was weren't able to get DNA from ashes, so they asked if I could come up with a hairbrush, toothbrush, anything with his DNA on it, which I knew I could come up with a toothbrush and a hairbrush," Christopher Dralus said Wednesday. "He was a very hard worker, provided for his family, loved his family very much and loved being outdoors, as my brother had stated earlier and loved to do his walks on a daily basis." A day earlier, Joseph Dralus, Jr., testified he searched the Northwest Bradenton community for the vehicle that hit his father, eventually finding Zeppi's parked in her driveway. PREVIOUS: Jury selected in trial against woman accused of killing beloved Bradenton 'peace walker' in hit-and-run Prosecutors have said Zeppi's vehicle had front-end damage and DNA taken from the SUV matched the victim's. "The swabs from the hood slash fender, the swabs from the headlight and the swabs from the passenger side bumper all had DNA that I was able to make interpretations and comparisons to," said Kaleigh Brownell, a DNA analyst for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The other side Defense attorneys, however, had their own crash scene reconstruction expert take the stand, who said he believes FHP identified the wrong vehicle. MORE: Woman accused of hitting, killing beloved Bradenton 'Peace walker' to stand trial "My opinion in this particular case is this Lincoln Navigator was not the vehicle that struck Mr. Dralus," said Sean O'Leary, the defense's crash scene expert, who was asked how he came to that conclusion. "Primarily the lack of damage to the vehicle, especially in the areas that I would expect to see them, knowing the type of injuries that Mr. Dralus sustained." Zeppi nearly avoided trial, initially agreeing to a plea deal. Prosecutors withdrew that offer late last month. What's next Following closing statements, the jury is expected to begin deliberations. The Source The information in this story was gathered during the trial of Teresa Zeppi as well as previous FOX 13 News reports. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
State, defense rest in ‘peace walker' hit-and-run trial in Manatee County
MANATEE COUNTY (WFLA) — Both the state and defense rested their cases in the Teresa Zeppi trial Wednesday. The 60-year-old Manatee County woman is accused of leaving the scene of a crash involving death back in 2020. The victim was Joseph Dralus Sr. The 82-year-old, who neighbors call the 'peace walker' was on one of his daily five-mile walks when he was struck. The prosecution focused heavily on the DNA evidence located on Zeppi's Lincoln Navigator Wednesday. Their final witness was a crime laboratory analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The analyst said she was given five swabs taken from the vehicle. One of the swabs from the hood/fender, she said, matched the DNA profile of Dralus Sr. 'For this item, the DNA results I obtained was a complete DNA profile that was consistent with a male individual, so it was a single-source profile obtained from the hood and fender area. I then compared the profile from Joseph Dralus to this profile and the profiles matched, meaning that, at every one of those 21 locations, the DNA types were the same as the DNA types from Joseph Dralus,' said Kaleigh Brownell with FDLE. 'So the observed DNA profile in this case is greater than 700 billion times more likely to have occurred if it originated from Joseph Dralus then if it originated from an unrelated individual,' she explained to the jury. During cross examination, the defense questioned the analyst about how and when the DNA could have ended up on the vehicle. I cannot determine, again, the source or how DNA was deposited. I can say there was a good amount of DNA in my quantitation for at least that item one, the hood fender,' said Brownell. The DNA samples from Dralus were provided by his son, Christopher, after his death. He obtained two of his father's toothbrushes as well as a hairbrush from his father's vehicle. All were provided to FHP and FDLE. Once the state rested its case, the defense brought up only two witnesses. Zeppi did not take the stand. The defense's first witness was hired by Zeppi in 2023 to serve as an expert opinion. The accident reconstruction expert went through a series of photos with the jury, suggesting the damage to Zeppi's SUV was from a minor crash she was in earlier that day, before Dralus Sr. was struck. 'Given the nature of the injuries that Mr. Dralus had, in my opinion, there is absolutely no way the vehicle that the struck him would have no damage,' said accident reconstruction expert Sean O'Leary. Zeppi's 21-year-old daughter was the final witness to take the stand. She spoke to her mother's character and testified that her mother was home around 4 p.m. the day of the deadly crash. It is believed to have happened around 5 p.m. 'I got home around 2:45 and my mom was not at the house. I left and went on a little bike ride until a little bit after four when I came back home and she was there. We hung out around the house, until I went upstairs into my room for the rest of the evening until later at night until I was called downstairs for dinner,' said the 21-year-old. She told the jury her mom was not acting unusual in any way and said she did not say anything about a car crash. During cross examination, the state pointed out Zeppi did not tell her daughter about her minor crash earlier in the day either. Closing arguments are set to begin Thursday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
