Jury recommends death penalty for ex-prison guard trainee who murdered 5 women inside Florida bank

A jury has recommended that a former prison guard trainee be sentenced to death for his execution-style murders of five women inside a Florida bank five years ago. The Highlands County jury voted 9-3 on Wednesday to recommend that Zephen Xaver receive the death penalty for the Jan. 23, 2019, massacre at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring. The jury deliberated less than three hours before reaching its verdict. The final decision rests with a circuit judge who could reject the recommendation and sentence the 27-year-old defendant to life in prison without parole. Under a 2023 Florida law, the jury only had to vote 8-4 in favor of the death penalty for a judge to impose that sentence.