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barsbincheckedcloseclouddown-chevrondownexpandexternal-linkfast-forwardfog01101112131415161718192202122232425262728293303132333435363738394404142434445464756789closenafuture-twcicekeylayersleft-chevronlocationminus-thinminusfullMoonfirstQuarterlastQuarternewMoonwaningCrescentwaningGibbouswaxingCrescentwaxingGibbousnext-buttonpause-buttonpause-iconpause-twcplay-buttonplay-icon-engageplay-iconplay-twcplus-thinpluspoolprecipRainprecipMixprecipRainprecipSnowprev-buttonright-chevronsearchsettingsshowershrinkstar-emptystar-fullstop-buttonsunrisesunsettogglesup-chevronvolumewarningwind * News * Weather * Sports * Good Day * We Live Here * Contests * More Watch Live Expand / Collapse search ☰ Search site NEWS * Top Stories * Local Tampa Bay News * National * Consumer * Health * Politics * Seen on TV * Daily Newsletter * FOX News Sunday * Military Appreciation Month WEATHER * SkyTower Radar Views * Interactive Radar * Live Webcams * Marine Weather * Weather Alerts * Hurricane Safety * MyFoxHurricane * FOX Weather SPORTS * Buccaneers * Rays * Lightning * No Off Days with Scott Smith * Weekly Fishing Report * High School Sports GOOD DAY * Traffic * Charley's World * Hometown Heroes * Extraordinary Ordinaries * Recipes * First Birthdays WE LIVE HERE * What's Right * Dinner DeeAs * One Tank Trips * Theme Parks * Made in Tampa Bay * Recipes, Food & Drink * Tampa Bay History * Care Force WATCH LIVE * How To Stream * Live FOX 13 Newscasts * LiveNOW from FOX * SkyTower Radar Stream * FOX Weather * FOX Soul * 'Call Me Kat' Kitten Cam * FOX Live Feed Central * NASA TV MONEY * Consumer * Personal Finance * The Economy * Small Business ENTERTAINMENT * Headlines * Trending Stories * FOX Shows * What's on FOX 13 * Contests * Tampa Bay Reads REGIONAL NEWS * Orlando News - FOX 35 Orlando * Gainesville News - FOX 51 Gainesville * Atlanta News - FOX 5 Atlanta ABOUT US * Meet the FOX 13 team * TV Listings * Jobs & Internships * WTVT History * Closed Captioning * FCC Public File * FCC Applications * Contact Us Live Now SEBRING BANK SHOOTING: FDLE CRIME LAB ANALYST TO CONTINUE TESTIFYING IN GUNMAN’S SENTENCING TRIAL By FOX 13 News Staff Published June 11, 2024 8:16am EDT Highlands County FOX 13 News Share * Copy Link * Email * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Reddit PRESS PLAY ABOVE TO WATCH TRIAL LIVE SEBRING, Fla. - The second day of Zephen Xaver’s sentencing trial got underway on Tuesday morning. Xaver pleaded guilty to shooting and killing five women at a Sebring bank in 2019 and a jury will decide if he will be sentenced to death or spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kate Fahey took the stand first thing on Tuesday morning as she continued her testimony about what investigators found at the Suntrust Bank in Sebring on Jan. 23, 2019, after Zephen Xaver shot and killed five women inside the lobby. On Monday, after hearing prosecutor Bonde Johnson explain why the state of Florida wants Xaver to get the death penalty, jurors listened to the 911 call Xaver made from inside the SunTrust bank after he killed the five women. In the recording, he told 911 operator Kristin Johnson that he had wanted to die since he was nine years old and wanted to kill others since he was 11. He went on to say that he’s heard voices telling him to kill since he was 12-years-old. SEBRING SHOOTING TRIAL: 911 CALL PLAYED FOR JURY Listen to the 911 call Zephen Xaver made after he killed five women inside a SunTrust Bank in Sebring in January 2019. The jurors also watched a video of Xaver depositing his paycheck at the SunTrust bank on Jan. 7. The next day, he was seen on camera withdrawing $300 from the bank. A few hours after withdrawing the money, prosecutors say Xaver purchased the gun he used in the shooting. However, lawyers noted that since the gun cost more than $300, Xaver paid for it with a credit card and did not reveal some information from his past in the paperwork he filled out to purchase the gun. The next day, prosecutors say Xaver resigned from his job as a corrections officer trainee at the Avon Park Correctional Center. On Jan. 12, Bonde Johnson said Xaver picked up his gun from the store. On Jan. 23, 2019, Xaver walked into the SunTrust Bank in Sebring and ordered five women, four employees, and one customer, to lay face-down on the lobby floor while he shot them execution style. After he shot them, he called 911. On Monday afternoon, jurors heard from a deputy with the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office who took information from Xaver’s cellphone and social media pages. They also listened to testimony from John King of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who described the victim’s gunshot wounds and explained how the victims were identified. Jurors also watched surveillance video that was taken from the bank’s cameras. Xaver's public defender made a motion for a mistrial shortly after the video was played because an audience member had an emotional reaction to the testimony, and it was revealed that a therapy K-9 with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office was present. Her motion was denied. The state has a potential 117 witnesses to call. WHO IS ZEPHEN XAVER? The man police say shot and killed five people in a Sebring, Florida SunTrust bank was described by a woman who knew him as "normal" and "well-mannered." Sharon Spillane, a friend of Xaver’s parents, told FOX 13 in 2019 that she never in a million years saw this coming. "We’ve cooked together, I’ve been in their house, we’ve watched movies. They’re a very normal family," Spillane said. "He had a job, and he was very quiet and very well-mannered. Anytime that I saw him, he was very well-mannered, always good posture and well-spoken." However, Xaver’s ex-girlfriend paints a different picture. In a previous interview with FOX 13, Alex Gerlach said Xaver was obsessed with guns and knives. "The only thing I can remember is him talking about guns and wanting guns," Gerlach said in a 2019 interview. "He wants to hurt people physically." According to Gerlach, she met Xaver in a psychiatric hospital in 2013. She said they dated off and on for about two years. Pictured: Zephen Xaver "At one point, my mother was terrified because she thought he was going to physically harm me," explained Gerlach, who described Xaver as a troubled teen. "For some reason, he always hated people and wanted everybody to die." Gerlach said Xaver continued to make chilling comments over the years and said one week before the shooting he sent her a picture of him holding a gun. "I've been scared for years and every single person I've told has not taken it seriously, and it's very unfortunate it had to come to this," she said in 2019. Documents provided by the Bremen Police Department in Indiana state officers went to Xaver's high school in 2014, after school officials said he was having disturbing thoughts. The documents state Xaver told school officials he had dreams of hurting his classmates. According to the police report, Xaver's mother agreed to take her son to a behavioral health center. The Florida Department of Corrections confirmed Xaver was a correctional officer trainee with Avon Park Correctional Institution for about two months. He resigned two weeks before the shooting. SEBRING SHOOTING VICTIMS Marisol Lopez, Jessica Montague, Debra Cook and Ana Piñon-Williams were working at the SunTrust branch on U.S. 27 when Xaver opened fire. A customer, Cynthia Watson, was also killed in the attack. Following the shooting, Piñon-Williams' brother-in-law made a public statement on behalf of the family. He said the mother of seven was devoted to her family and her faith, "truly a light in this world." ◀︎ ▶︎ Image 1 of 2 ▼ "Loving her was easy. Living without her will be hard. Our family will not only survive, but we will thrive," Tim Williams said. Bank employee Marisol Lopez, 55, leaves behind her husband and two children. Her Facebook profile picture shows her smiling with a loved one. That smile is how longtime neighbor Gil Osborne said he will remember her. "She had the best personality, always friendly, always smiling and always generous," Osborne told FOX 13 News in an earlier interview. Officials said there was another employee in the bank at the time of the shooting. Law enforcement did not name the employee, but said the person was in a back room when shots were fired. They were able to escape and call for help. WILL ZEPHEN XAVER GET THE DEATH PENALTY? Xaver’s trial will be one of the first high-profile cases in Florida where the death penalty sentence no longer hinges on a unanimous jury verdict. Florida lawmakers made the change in 2023, shortly after jurors spared the life of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooter in a 9-3 decision. Florida law now states that a defendant may be sentenced to death if at least 8 of the 12 jurors recommend execution. State Attorney Brian Haas says all five of the victims‘ families support seeking the death penalty in this case. Xaver's sentencing trial is expected to take several weeks. SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter DAILY NEWSLETTER All the news you need to know, every day By clicking Sign Up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. TRENDING SCAMMERS POSING AS SUNPASS PERSIST DESPITE RECENT STATE CRACKDOWN NEW MARGARITAVILLE AT SEA CRUISE SHIP SAILS INTO PORT OF TAMPA BAY MAN ARRESTED IN CITRUS COUNTY AFTER DEPUTIES FIND DRUGS, GUNS AND CASH DURING TRAFFIC STOP: CCSO PHOTOS: DRIVER ACCUSED OF CRASHING INTO POLICE CRUISER ON COURTNEY CAMPBELL CAUSEWAY CHARGED WITH DUI AUBURNDALE FAMILY MOURNS 5-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN DRUNK-DRIVING CRASH: "SHE WILL BE REMEMBERED" LATEST HEADLINES Live Now SEBRING BANK SHOOTING: FDLE CRIME LAB ANALYST TO CONTINUE TESTIFYING IN GUNMAN’S SENTENCING TRIAL FBI RELEASES GABBY PETITO LOVE LETTER TO BRIAN LAUNDRIE AMID HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF EVIDENCE POLICE OFFICER USES PATROL CAR TO STOP WRONG-WAY DRIVER IN DOWNTOWN ST. PETERSBURG AUBURNDALE FAMILY MOURNS 5-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN DRUNK-DRIVING CRASH: "SHE WILL BE REMEMBERED" MADELINE SOTO UPDATE: STEPHAN STERNS TO FACE DEATH PENALTY IN FLORIDA TEEN'S MURDER, PROSECUTORS SAY Watch Live Sebring bank shooter sentencing trial continues Testimony continues in the sentencing trial of Sebring bank shooter Zephen Xaver. 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