SEBRING, Fla. — The penalty phase of the man who murdered five women in a Sebring bank got underway Monday in a Highlands County courtroom.
The Sebring bank shooter, Zephen Xaver, changed his plea to guilty in 2023 after originally pleading not guilty.
In 2019, Xaver opened fire inside a SunTrust Bank in Sebring, killing five women before surrendering to negotiators. The victims included: Cynthia Watson, 65, Marisol Lopez, 55, Ana Piñon-Williams, 38, Jessica Montague, 31, and Debra Cook, 54.
The Suntrust bank never reopened after the massacre. It was torn down and turned into a memorial for those who lost their lives that day.
On March 14, 2023, Xaver changed his plea to guilty to all counts in the original indictment. He had been a correctional officer trainee at the Avon Park Correction Institution, but resigned a little over two months before the shooting.
The State of Florida said it would seek the death penalty for Xaver in the case.
Testimony will begin in the penalty phase once a jury has been seated.
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