A convicted murderer displayed his obvious displeasure in a Florida courtroom on Monday, responding to his imminent death sentence by elbowing his attorney in the face.

Joseph Zieler, 61, of North Fort Myers, is facing death for the 1990 rapes and murders of 11-year-old Robin Cornell and her babysitter Lisa Story in Cape Coral — and Monday’s hearing was a chance for Zieler to appeal directly to Judge Robert Branning for a new trial or a reduced sentence after a jury recommended the deal penalty on Saturday.

Just after Zieler entered the courtroom on Monday morning, however, he motioned to his attorney Kevin Shirley as if he wanted to speak privately – but when Shirley leaned in to hear what his client had to say, the still-handcuffed double-murderer threw an elbow and hit his lawyer in the side of his head.

WATCH:

Convicted double-murderer Joseph Zieler elbows his attorney in the face ahead of his sentencing Monday. He was quickly tackled to the ground by bailiffs. pic.twitter.com/vkMmPXZbka

— Gage Goulding – NBC2 (@GageGoulding) June 26, 2023

Judge Branning immediately questioned Shirley, asking whether he’d been hurt, and Shirley, a former boxer, told the judge that he’d “taken a lot better shots than that.”

“It seemed like he didn’t want our conversation to be picked up by the microphones,” Shirley told the local FOX affiliate after the hearing. “So he waved me down and I bent over, and he struck me. The Bailiffs were extremely quick to respond and eliminated any future threat.”

“I had no idea he was going to do something like that,” Shirley told another local outlet. “Obviously he’s been planning on that. But, as he was going down, he said he was sorry he missed.”

Judge Branning ultimately refused to overturn Zieler’s conviction or grant him a new trial — and instead pushed forward with the jury’s recommended death sentence.

“The court concludes that under the laws of the State of Florida, the defendant has forfeited his right to live,” Branning said.

A couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary was found stabbed and bludgeoned to death along with another elderly family member on Sunday.

The shocking triple homicide happened in the Boston area, about seven miles west of the city of Newton, Massachusetts.

The bodies of the couple in their 70s — and the wife’s mother, who was in her 90s and lived with them — were discovered dead in their home Sunday morning when a friend went to their home to check on them after the couple did not arrive at church.

Police believe the murders are a “random” act of violence. The preliminary investigation found signs of forced entry.

Police warned residents to lock their doors and remain watchful as investigators track down the killer or killers, who are still at large.

“This is the night to lock your doors and windows,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a news conference Sunday night. “We are asking people if they hear or see something suspicious, please call the Newton police immediately.”

“As we mourn the victims of this senseless, and violent tragedy we ask all members of our community to remain alert and vigilant,” the Newton Police Department wrote in a tweet Monday.

“Two of the individuals were celebrating a golden wedding anniversary this weekend. As you can imagine, this would be tragic on any day. To have family gathered for this kind of a celebration makes it particularly tragic,” Ryan said.

An attempted break-in occurred about half a mile from the victims’ home early on Sunday morning, but it is not clear if the two crimes are connected, Ryan said.

“That’s why we are concerned particularly about the safety issue,” Ryan said.

“As far as the Newton Police Department, we won’t rest until we find out who did this and we find justice for the victims that were involved here,” Carmichael said.

Newton Police Chief John Carmichael spoke at the news conference as well.

Fr. Dan Riley of Our Lady Help of Christians, a Newton Catholic parish, said the couple was planning to celebrate their 50th anniversary in a blessing after holy communion at the 10 a.m. Mass.

The priest described the three victims as “three beloved parishioners — salt of the earth people, just great, great people.”

Neighbors of the three were left in shock by the slayings.

“Just shock. I mean, this is a safe neighborhood. You don’t have murders in Newton or Nonantum,” neighbor Jack Porter told local outlet WCBV.

Newton, which has fewer than 88,000 people, is generally considered an extremely safe city. The city was ranked the second safest city for families in the country by a SafeWise report last year.

Boston has seen its murder rate rise this year. Murders have jumped from 18 murders so far this year compared to 13 murders by this time last year, according to data from the Boston police department.

Robberies have also spiked from 334 by this time last year to 365 robberies so far this year. Larceny has jumped from 2,925 last year to 3,231 this year.

Domestic assaults, auto thefts, and non-domestic assaults have all gone down.