29 June 2024 :

June 26, 2024 - Florida. Jury recommends death penalty for Zephen Xaver
Killed 5 women. A jury on Wednesday voted 9-3 to recommend Zephen Xaver, 27, a former prison guard trainee, be sentenced to death for his execution-style murders of 5 women inside the SunTrust Bank in Sebring on 23 January 2019. Prosecutor Bonde Johnson said in closing arguments that Xaver deserved the death penalty because the massacre was long-planned, “shockingly evil” and fulfilled his yearslong desire to experience killing.
But defense attorney Jane McNeill had urged jurors to spare Xaver, saying he is mentally ill and has been hearing voices since childhood urging him to kill himself and others. He sought help, she said, but never truly got it.
The final decision rests with circuit judge Angela Cowden, who could reject the jury’s recommendation and sentence Xaver to life in prison without parole. She has not jet set a sentencing date.
Xaver pleaded guilty last year to 5 counts of 1st-degree murder. Victims were customer Cynthia Watson, 65; bank teller Marisol Lopez, 55; banker trainee Ana Pinon-Williams, 38; bank teller Debra Cook, 54; and banker Jessica Montague, 31.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/26/florida-bank-murders-death-penalty