HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. — The 911 call Zephen Xaver made moments after a 2019 massacre inside a Sebring bank was just some of the evidence jurors heard Monday as Xaver’s sentencing trial began.
Jurors will ultimately decide how Xaver should be punished for his crimes.
“The penalty for each of these crimes is either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty,” Judge Angela Cowden told the jury.
In 2019, Xaver opened fire inside a SunTrust Bank in Sebring, executing five women before surrendering to negotiators.
The victims included 65-year-old Cynthia Watson, 55-year-old Marisol Lopez, 38-year-old Ana Piñon-Williams, 31-year-old Jessica Montague, and 54-year-old Debra Cook.
“They were mothers, wives, daughters,” Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson told jurors Monday.
Back in March, Xaver pleaded guilty to five counts of premeditated first-degree murder.
On the first day of Xaver’s sentencing trial, Johnson began making the state’s case for the death penalty and painted Xaver as a cold, heartless killer.
“There is no defense to these killings. There’s no self-defense. There’s no insanity. There’s no heat of passion,” he said.
The defense did not give an opening statement.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
