The penalty phase of the trial for Zephen Xaver, convicted for the 2019 Sebring bank massacre, has progressed into its fourth day. Charged with the cold-blooded murder of five women at the SunTrust bank, Xaver faces a sentence of either the death penalty or life imprisonment. As reported by WFLA, the trial opened with heart-wrenching evidence including a 911 call wherein the dispatcher worked to prevent Xaver from taking his own life after the shooting.
During testimony, reported by ABC Action News, a former bank teller Ben Wysokowski recounted his harrowing escape during his lunch break when gunfire erupted. Stricken with panic, he managed to flee the scene seeking help at a nearby residence. "I just kept saying there's been a shooting at the bank call the cops. There's been a shooting at the bank call the cops," Wysokowski stated. The same day, a customer Victor Sparks relayed how he saw through the bank's window locked doors, five individuals lying on the ground and promptly made a 911 call upon returning to his car.
A more Personal connection to the convicted man was brought forward by Imani Davis, who described her distant romantic engagement with Xaver. According to WFLA, Davis explained that their relationship, started on a website for enthusiasts of the macabre, ended in 2018, well before the tragic incident. She disclosed an ominous interest Xaver held in methods of killing, having texted her about taking lives before the fatal day at the bank.
In emotional displays within the courtroom, as detailed by ABC Action News, testimony from witnesses like Marshall Blackmon, who sold Xaver the firearm used in the murders, drew the ire of Judge Angela Cowden. During one exchange, the judge admonished Blackmon for “staring someone down” and consequently removed the jury temporarily. "You were staring someone down and you do not have the right to do that. You need to stop that. The jury does not need to see any witness doing that kind of behavior," Judge Cowden said.
Jurors now face the grave task of determining Xaver's fate, as they weigh the gravity of his crimes against the punishment he should bear. Zephen Xaver had already pled guilty to five counts of premeditated first-degree murder back in March. WINK News reports that the sentencing trial is expected to conclude by end of June, with Xaver either joining the ranks of those condemned to death or spending the rest of his life behind the unforgiving bars of a prison cell.
