Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 21

Thread: Death Penalty Trial: Zephen Allen Xaver Pleads Guilty in 2019 FL Multiple Murders

  1. #1
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875

    Death Penalty Trial: Zephen Allen Xaver Pleads Guilty in 2019 FL Multiple Murders


    The victims of the SunTrust Bank shooting in Sebring, Florida, have been identified as, clockwise from top left: Cynthia Watson, Marisol Lopez, Jessica Montague, Ana Pinon-Williams and Debra Cook






    At least 5 dead after shooting at SunTrust bank in Sebring

    By WFLA 8 On Your Side News Staff

    SEBRING, Fla. (WFLA) - At least five people are dead after a gunman walked into a central Florida bank and opened fire on Wednesday afternoon, authorities say.

    Sebring police officials say 21-year-old Zephen Zaver called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and reported that he had fired shots inside the SunTrust Bank on US-27 South in Sebring. The city is 94 miles southeast of Tampa, about an hour and 45 minutes away.

    Sebring police officers and Highlands County deputies responded to the scene and established a perimeter around the bank. Our news helicopter flying over the scene saw a massive law enforcement presence as police tried to negotiate with the man barricaded inside.

    Police were unsuccessful at first but say the man eventually surrendered after the Highlands County SWAT team went into the bank and continued to negotiate.

    According to his office, Gov. DeSantis spoke with Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman and FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen via phone shortly after the shooting. He later tweeted that he was offering all the support they may need and was praying for the families and victims.

    Sen. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer both tweeted that they had spoken with Sheriff Blackman and offered their prayers and support.

    Highlands County Commissioner Don Elwell wrote on his Facebook page, "Getting more info now - none of it is good...Please keep praying." He told NBC News he knows there have been "multiple people shot," and called them civilian injuries.

    The Highlands County Sheriff's Office says US-27 was shut down in both directions from Golfview Drive to Lakeview Drive due to the incident.

    The sheriff's office asked co-workers and family members of anyone who was inside the bank during the incident should go to the Inn on the Lakes on Gulfview Road.

    The Kindergarten Learning Center and Fred Wild Elementary were temporarily put on controlled campus but those were lifted around 2:30 p.m.

    https://www.wfla.com/1719447039
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #2
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Florida bank shooting suspect had 'fascination with death,' talked about killing before, friends say

    By Ryan Gaydos
    Fox News

    A man accused of killing five people when he opened fire at a Florida bank Wednesday had a “fascination with death” and had talked about killing before, an ex-girlfriend said.

    Zephen Xaver, 21, started the rampage at about 12:30 p.m. at SunTrust Bank in Sebring before calling 911 on himself and taking hostages, causing law enforcement to descend on the building, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said. A picture of the alleged shooter began to emerge later Wednesday.

    Alex Gerlach told The Washington Post she used to date Xaver intermittently for about three years. She told the newspaper they met at a psychiatric hospital in 2013 in Plymouth, Ind. and he had talked about killing before.

    She provided a photo of herself with Xaver to WSBT-TV that appeared to show Xaver with a group of girls on a football field.

    “Since the time we met he had this fascination with death,” Gerlach told The Washington Post. “It got worse as we broke up. We got back together on and off for a while. Then I decided it was too much for my mental health.”
    Gerlach said Xaver told her he had purchased a gun last week but thought nothing of it because he had always liked guns. She said she believes he purchased a handgun, according to The Washington Post.

    Another friend, who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, said Xaver told her he wanted to join the military “because he wanted to kill people.” The friend said Xaver had messaged her late Tuesday night and she now fears he was reaching out for help. The friends told the newspaper they’d been telling Xaver to get help for years.

    “I’m just sad that he didn’t get the help he needed because this could have been prevented,” the unidentified friend said. “I’m even more upset that he messaged me and I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want to speak to him out of respect for my best friend. Now I wish I would have. I feel like I could have said something if I would have known. But I know you never truly know what someone really has planned.”

    Josh Xaver, who said he is the suspect’s father, told CNN his son moved to Florida about a year ago. He told the network he was “heartbroken” for the shooting victims and said his son had “troubles,” though he failed to elaborate on what those troubles were.

    In November, Zephen Xaver was hired as a prison guard for the Florida Department of Corrections, but he resigned in early January. A corrections official told The Washington Post that Xaver had “no discipline” issues during his brief tenure.

    Investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the killings. Police said it was unclear whether the attack began as a robbery. The victims were not immediately identified.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to Sebring after the shooting and said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would assist Sebring police and the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office.

    “Obviously, this is an individual who needs to face very swift and exacting justice,” DeSantis said.

    Fox News’ Elizabeth Zwirz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-b...re-friends-say
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #3
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    More Info.

    5 Shot Dead in Fla. Bank; Ex-Girlfriend Says Suspect 'Always Hated People'

    By Staff and wire reports
    nbcwashington.com

    A former prison guard trainee who recently moved to Florida from Indiana will remain behind bars after police say killed five people during a standoff at a small town bank before surrendering to a SWAT team that stormed the building.

    Investigators said Zephen Xaver, 21, called police from inside the SunTrust Bank branch in Sebring on Wednesday to report that he had opened fire. He barricaded himself inside and when negotiations failed, the SWAT team burst in, capturing Xaver and discovering the bodies, police said.


    During his first hearing in Highlands County court on Thursday, a judge announced the five charges of first degree murder and awarded no bond for Xaver.


    Investigators did not offer a possible motive, and a police spokesman said he did not know if the attack began as a robbery. The victims were not immediately identified.


    "Today's been a tragic day in our community," Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said during a news conference. "We've suffered significant loss at the hands of a senseless criminal doing a senseless crime."


    The victims were not immediately identified.


    Hoglund said a man contacted police to say he had fired shots inside the bank around 12:30 p.m. Officers responded and after negotiations to get the suspect out of the bank were unsuccessful, a SWAT team entered the bank.


    The suspect eventually surrendered to the SWAT team. Police didn't say what charges Xaver faces or give a possible motive for the shooting.

    Florida Department of Corrections records show that Xaver was hired as a trainee prison guard at Avon Park Correctional Institution on Nov. 2 and resigned Jan. 9. No disciplinary issues were reported.


    Public records and neighbors said Xaver had arrived in Sebring last fall with his mother, living in a non-descript pre-fabricated home about 4 miles from the bank. No one answered the door Wednesday night after police finished searching the home.


    Public records and neighbors say he and his mother moved to Sebring in the fall from Plymouth, Indiana, a town south of Notre Dame University.


    Xaver "for some reason always hated people and wanted everybody to die," Alex Gerlach, his former girlfriend, told WSBT-TV in Indiana shortly after Wednesday's massacre in Sebring. "He got kicked out of school for having a dream that he killed everybody in his class, and he's been threatening this for so long, and he's been having dreams about it and everything."


    "Every single person I've told has not taken it seriously, and it's very unfortunate that it had to come to this," Gerlach said.


    Gerlach told The Washington Post that Xaver said he purchased a gun last week and "no one thought anything of it" because he had always liked guns.

    John Larose, who lives next door, said Xaver kept to himself, but he could hear him playing and yelling at video games in the middle of the night.


    Sebring Mayor John Shoop called the shooting "a very senseless act with no reasoning."


    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in the region for an infrastructure tour and traveled to Sebring after news of the shooting broke, the Associated Press reported. The governor said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would assist Sebring police and the Highlands sheriff in any way possible.


    "Obviously this is an individual that needs to face very swift and exacting justice," DeSantis said.


    SunTrust CEO Bill Rogers issued a statement saying he was "deeply saddened" by the shooting.


    "We are working with officials and dedicating ourselves to fully addressing the needs of all the individuals and families involved. Our entire team mourns this terrible loss," Rogers' statement read.


    Late Wednesday, police investigators still swarmed the bank, which sits between a hotel and a hair salon located in a business district of U.S. 27, a four-lane highway that connects South Florida and Central Florida. Sebring, with 10,000 residents, is known internationally for its annual 12 Hours of Sebring endurance auto race that draws world-class drivers.


    An FBI mobile command unit arrived at the bank Wednesday evening to join the investigation.


    Terry Spencer and Davis Fischer of the Associated Press contributed.

    https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/n...mpression=true
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #4
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Edited:

    Motive unknown in Florida bank shooting, gunman no connection to victims: police

    By Lucia I. Suarez Sang
    Fox News

    The former prison guard who confessed to fatally shooting five women in a Florida bank Wednesday had no connection to his victims or the bank, police said.

    Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said officials don't know why 21-year-old Zephen Xaver targeted the SunTrust Bank branch and “shot everyone in the bank.”

    He said at a news conference Thursday that Xaver entered the bank around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with a gun and opened fire, killing four female employees and one customer inside the bank at the time. No one else was inside the bank.

    “After shooting them, he called 911 [and] told dispatchers that he’d killed everyone in the bank,” Hoglund said.

    When police arrived at the scene, the doors were locked and Xaver would not allow authorities into the building after more than an hour of negotiations. Eventually, Xaver surrendered to authorities.

    By the time a SWAT team breached the building “all the victims had succumbed to their injuries,” Hoglund said.

    A police affidavit said all five women were found lying face down in the bank’s lobby with gunshot wounds to the back of their heads. Shell casings from the Xaver’s 9 mm handgun were scattered on the floor.

    The SWAT team found Xaver in an office in the rear of the building and he was taken into custody without incident. He has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder.

    He was ordered held without bond Thursday.

    Authorities withheld the identities of three of the victims, citing Florida’s new state law that prevents disclosure of information that can be used to harass or locate victims or their relatives.

    Hoglund did identify two of the victims as Cynthia Watson, a 65-year-old bank customer, and Marisol Lopez, a 55-year-old bank employee.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/motive-un...victims-police
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #5
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    FRANCE
    Posts
    3,073
    Prosecutors likely to seek death for Sebring bank shooting suspect

    By Kevin Bouffard
    The Ledger

    Sebring Mayor John Shoop on the execution-style murder of five women inside the SunTrust Bank: “We have not changed, but our world has ... This incident will pass but will never be forgotten. It is part of our history.”

    SEBRING — A 21-year-old man accused of murdering five women, apparently execution style, at a Sebring bank Wednesday likely will face the death penalty, according to the judicial circuit’s top prosecutor.

    Brian Haas, the state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida based in Bartow, told The Ledger in a Thursday email that a decision on the death penalty will be made when the case against Zephen Xaver is presented to the grand jury within the next few weeks.

    “As you know, the death penalty is reserved for the worst of the worst first-degree murder cases. Given what I know about this horrific case, I certainly anticipate that the death penalty will apply,” Haas said in his email.

    Xaver, a former Indiana resident who moved to Sebring last year, is currently being held without bond in the Highlands County Jail on five counts of premeditated first-degree murder, which does qualify for the death penalty. The killings took place at a Sebring branch of SunTrust Bank.

    At a press conference Thursday morning at the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund identified two of the victims as Marisol Lopez, 55, a SunTrust employee from Lake Placid, and Cynthia Watson, 65, a bank customer from Venus, an unincorporated area in southern Highlands.

    Citing “Marsy’s Law,” a victims’ rights state constitutional amendment voters approved in November, Hoglund declined to name the other three victims at the request of their families. He did say all three unnamed victims were women and SunTrust employees.

    But the Associated Press reported Thursday one of the unidentified victims was Ana Pinon Williams, 38, of Sebring, based on an interview with her brother-in-law, Tim Williams. She was a mother of seven children who had just recently begun working at SunTrust, the brother-in-law told AP.

    According to a heavily redacted arrest report released at the press conference, the Highlands Sheriff’s Office received a call from Xaver at 12:36 p.m. He told dispatchers he was inside the SunTrust branch armed with a 9mm handgun and had just shot five people.

    Officers from Sebring Police Department and the Highlands Sheriff’s Office arrived about two minutes later and secured the area. The bank doors were locked.

    The dispatchers continued to maintain phone contact with Xaver, but law enforcement negotiators were unsuccessful in trying to get him to let officers or emergency medical people inside, Hoglund said. Officers entered the bank at 1:54 p.m. and found Xaver in a back office, where he surrendered.

    All five women were dead at the scene by the time officers entered, the chief said.

    According to the arrest report, the officers found all five victims lying face down in the main lobby with gunshot wounds to the back of their heads and upper torsos. Many spent shell casings were strewn on the floor around them.

    Investigators have no information on Xaver’s motives for the shooting, Highlands Sheriff Paul Blackman said during a brief period taking questions from dozens of media people there.

    “We believe it was a random act,” Blackman said. “He had no known connection to the victims or the bank.”

    There’s also no evidence Xaver attempted to rob the bank, he said.

    According to earlier reports from a Wednesday press conference with Highlands law enforcement and Gov. Ron DeSantis, Xaver had moved to Florida from the South Bend, Indiana, area in the fall and trained as a security guard at the Avon Park Correctional Institution, a state prison near the northern Highlands city, from Nov. 2 to Jan. 9. Prison officials said Xaver had no disciplinary actions against him during his brief employment.

    News media in Indiana reported some additional details about Xaver.

    Alex Gerlach, who identified herself as Xaver’s former girlfriend, told a South Bend TV station he was fascinated with the idea of killing and that Xaver “always hated people and wanted everybody to die.” She told the Washington Post that Xaver had purchased a gun last week.

    His father, Josh Xaver, told CNN he’s “heartbroken for the victims” and that his son “wasn’t raised to be like this.”

    His father also told CNN, “He’s always been a good kid. He’s had his troubles, but he has never hurt anyone ever before. This is a total shock.”

    Meanwhile this city of about 10,000 residents in central Highlands is struggling to deal with a brutally senseless crime.

    Chief Hoglund described the victims as “our sisters, our mothers, our daughters and our co-workers,” he said. “Yesterday, our community suffered a tremendous loss.”

    Mayor John Shoop, the community president of CenterState Bank in Highlands, echoed: “Our hearts go out to the individuals that lost their lives and to all their family, friends and co-workers. We have a wonderful community, and this kind of senseless, cowardly act is not even in our vocabulary.”

    Shoop told The Ledger he did not know Marisol personally, but others in the local financial community who did described her as a warm, friendly person.

    “She was a very sweet individual,” he said. “She had a pleasant attitude. She was always trying to help people.”

    The incident will have a lasting impact on the Sebring area, Shoop said at the press conference.

    “We have not changed, but our world has,” he said. “We will walk through this together. This incident will pass but will never be forgotten. It is part of our history.”

    https://www.newsherald.com/news/2019...ooting-suspect
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
    1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

  6. #6
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Police: Suspect bought gun days before bank shooting

    By AP Author
    News4Jax.com

    SEBRING, Fla. - The man charged with fatally shooting five women at a Florida bank last week bought a gun several days before the shooting, authorities said Monday.

    Zephen Xaver, 21, bought a 9mm handgun and ammunition just days before Wednesday's shooting at a SunTrust branch, Sebring police said in a news release. Testing is underway to determine if that gun was the same one used inside the bank, police said.

    The shooting left four employees and one customer dead. Xaver shot the women in an apparently random act of violence, police said. Prosecutors could seek the death penalty for Xaver, who faces five counts of premeditated murder.

    Records show Xaver was hired as a trainee prison guard at Avon Park Correctional Institution on Nov. 2 and resigned Jan. 9. No disciplinary issues were reported.

    SunTrust established a fund to offer financial support to the victims' families, the bank announced Monday.

    "Through the SunTrust Foundation and Sebring Strong Survivors Fund, we are committed to supporting the families of the victims as they begin to recover," SunTrust Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers said in a statement.

    "The outpouring of support from the community has demonstrated the best of humanity in a time of tragedy."

    The Sebring Strong Survivors Fund is a partnership between the SunTrust Foundation and the National Compassion Fund, a subsidiary of the National Center for Victims of Crime.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/florid...-bank-shooting
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #7
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Florida bank shooting

    By Gary Detman
    WPEC News

    SEBRING, Fla. (CBS12) — Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in the deadly bank shooting in Sebring.

    A Highlands County grand jury indicted 21-year-old Zephen Xaver on five-counts of first-degree murder in the shooting, the State Attorney's Office announced Friday.

    Xaver will be arraigned Feb. 25.

    Investigators say he opened fire on the SunTrust Bank on Jan. 23, and killed four bank workers and one customer.

    Authorities only released the identities of four victims, which included Ana Pińon-Williams, a woman who once lived in Okeechobee.

    https://cbs12.com/news/local/prosecu...-bank-shooting
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #8
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Sebring suspected shooter pleads not guilty

    He requested a trial by jury and waived his right to an arraignment hearing

    By NBC 2 News

    SEBRING, Fla. (AP) - A man arrested in the fatal shootings of five women at a Florida bank last month has entered a plea of not guilty.

    Zephen Xaver filed the written not guilty plea Wednesday. He requested a jury trial and said he will likely file a motion challenging the legality of his indictment.

    Xaver waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing that had been scheduled for next Monday.

    Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty against Xaver, 21.

    Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Xaver on five counts of first-degree murder in the Jan. 23 shooting deaths of four employees and a customer at the SunTrust bank in Sebring in central Florida.

    Sebring police said the women were shot in an apparently random act of violence.

    The shooter called police to report that he had fired shots inside the bank. Negotiations failed to persuade him to leave the building. The SWAT team then entered the bank, and the gunman eventually gave up, police said.

    Florida Department of Corrections records show that Xaver was hired as a trainee prison guard at Avon Park Correctional Institution on Nov. 2 and resigned Jan. 9. No disciplinary issues were reported.

    Xaver remains jailed without bond.

    https://www.nbc-2.com/story/40011873...ads-not-guilty
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  9. #9
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    State builds death-penalty case against accused Sebring SunTrust killer

    SEBRING, Fla. - More than two years have passed since a man walked into the Sebring SunTrust bank and opened fire, killing five women inside. It's a crime that rocked the Highlands County community to its core.

    The state of Florida continues to build its case against accused shooter, Zephen Xaver. And we're seeing some of the aspects of his past that they're using as evidence.

    January 23, 2019 forever changed the city of Sebring. Xaver, now 24 years old, is accused of walking into the SunTrust branch and gunning down four employees and a customer.

    Xaver called 911, then barricaded himself inside. He's charged with five counts of premeditated murder.

    This month, the State Attorney's Office filed a notice of supplemental discovery, noting new witnesses. That list includes family members and a former girlfriend who's spoken of Xaver's fascination with the idea of killing and his dreams of killing students at his Indiana high school.

    "The state's looking at what led this person to do such a heinous act," said criminal defense attorney Anthony Rickman, who's not connected to the case. "So, they're gathering everything this individual has done in his life to get a good picture of who he was, what he was doing and why he ultimately did what he did."

    The state will look at Xaver's school records and police reports involving those dreams, as well as a Michigan police report detailing messages he sent that he was "possibly thinking about suicide by cop and taking hostages."

    The state is analyzing things like Xaver's cell phone data, his application to Sebring Police Department, social media accounts and video game profile.

    "Here we see the state discovering his Facebook, social media, his Xbox profile, to see that if this person is playing violent video games, was he involved in any sort of communication with anybody on the computer," Rickman said. "Did he look up on the internet, anything related to this offense? Did he try and purchase firearms in the past? Was there any pattern or propensity of him to commit these offenses?"

    State prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Xaver. They must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Xaver did it while seeking the answer so many have -- why?

    "The state has got to prove those aggravating factors, number one, that a crime was committed in a cold, calculated matter," Rickman said. "Number two, that it was exceptionally atrocious or heinous, and three, that he either had a prior felony offense or was a convicted felon in the past."

    https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/st...untrust-killer
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  10. #10
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Trial for Sebring SunTrust Bank shooter could face another delay

    By Kimberly Kuizon
    Fox Tampa Bay News

    SEBRING, Fla. - The families of five women gunned down at a SunTrust Bank in Sebring just over three years ago now demand justice. The man charged in their deaths has yet to face trial due to the pandemic and numerous legal delays – and another continuance may be on the horizon.

    They thought the legal nightmare could end this May, the public defender has filed another motion to delay the trial.

    No matter when the trial finally comes, Jermaine Montague will never forget January 23, 2019. His wife went to work at the bank, like she did most mornings. They were supposed to meet for lunch and celebrate his birthday with their 2-year-old daughter.

    Instead, he got a call about a shooting at the bank.

    "We struggle. It’s an everyday thing. We struggle to sleep. We struggle to keep going," Montague said. "She could light up the room. You walk into the bank and see her smile. It really just warmed you to be there."

    The families of customer Cynthia Watson and employees Marisol Lopez, Debra Cook and Ana Pinon-Williams, got the same devastating call.

    Sebring police said Zephen Xaver walked into the SunTrust branch, wearing a bulletproof vest. The bank's surveillance camera system recorded as Xaver forced the women to lie on the floor before shooting and killing them.

    Investigators say he called law enforcement from the bank to admit what he'd done. He was arrested after a 2-hour standoff with police.

    Three years later, the victim's families are still waiting for justice.

    "The evidence is there. The evidence isn’t going to change. It should have been closed already," said Montague.

    A trial date was set for May 2, but the assistant public defender, Jane McNeill is asking for a continuance due to a personal medical issue.

    "If this was your family, you’d want it to be done sooner than later. We’ve been dealing with this already for three years and we haven't had the closure that we’ve been seeking," said Ana Pinon-Williams' sister, Blanca Pinon.

    She said each passing day brings another milestone missed by her sister, including becoming a grandmother.

    "We are here. We are going to be strong for her because she’s not here to speak for herself," Blanca said.

    The prosecution opposes the delay, saying the defense's co-counsel should be prepared to handle the trial.

    "As far as the judge goes, I hope that there’s some sympathy in your heart for the families that want closure. I feel like it’s necessary for us. We want to close this chapter. Even though it won’t completely be closed, we would like closure," said Montague.

    A hearing is scheduled Friday at 10 a.m on the possible continuance.

    https://www.fox13news.com/news/trial...-another-delay
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •