Gunman Zephen Xaver faces death penalty following Sebring bank shooting. The final result from a 3 hours deliberation on the charges that would be accorded Xaver got a 9-3 votes. Zephen Xaver opened fire and killed five women on January 23, 2019 at a SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida.
On the day that the verdict was being handed out on Wednesday, Xaver did not show any signs of emotion and remained sitting in the courtroom.
His trial was one of the most important cases in the state of Florida since it was one of the first high-profile cases in the state in which the death penalty conviction is no longer dependant on a unanimous decision from the jury.
The change was implemented by the legislature of Florida in the year 2023, immediately following the verdict that was reached by the jury that voted to spare the life of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooter, which was 9-3.
If at least eight of the twelve jurors come to the conclusion that the defendant should be put to death, then the most recent version of the statute in Florida allows for the possibility of the prisoner being sentenced to death.
In this particular instance, the state attorney, Brian Haas, has claimed that all five of the families of the victims are in support of pursuing the imposition of the death penalty.