A jury has recommended the death penalty for Zephen Allen Xaver, 27, who executed five women at a bank in Florida.
The 2019 mass shooting shocked everyone and left lasting scars on the victims' families.
In a 9-3 vote, the Highlands County jury decided Xaver should face the death penalty, with the formal sentencing scheduled for mid-July.
Xaver pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder.
The victims were SunTrust employees Marisol Lopez, 55; Ana Piñon-Williams, 38; Jessica Montague, 31; Debra Cook; and customer Cynthia Lee Watson, 65.
After the hearing, their families expressed their sorrow and need for justice.
April Nelson, daughter of Cynthia Watson, shared her pain: "I’ll never be the person I was before my mother was murdered. It is what the families wanted, and it doesn’t bring them back. It doesn’t make it any better, but it’s what he deserves, five times over."
Blanca Piñon, Ana Piñon-Williams' sister, said, "I feel like we are now one step closer to closing this chapter, but of course, we will never be able to completely heal because Ana was a huge part of our lives. She was the glue to our family. We will always have that missing piece."
Marisol Lopez’s husband expressed a sense of closure: "The verdict won’t bring her back. So, one way or the other, it’s OK, but at least I have some closure in my heart right now."
Jessica Montague’s husband felt a weight lifted: "It’s been a roller coaster, honestly. Emotions everywhere, not knowing what’s going to happen."
On January 23, 2019, Xaver, then 21, entered a SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, armed with a 9-millimeter handgun and wearing body armor.
He executed four employees and one customer before calling 911 and waiting for the police.
Sebring is about 85 miles southeast of Tampa.
Police set up a perimeter and crisis negotiators contacted Xaver by phone.
When it became clear he wouldn't let police access the victims, law enforcement moved in and apprehended him.
The scene inside was horrific, with all victims shot execution-style.
A former bank teller, who was in the break room when the shooting started, escaped to safety and called the police.
At the trial, prosecutors described Xaver's actions as "shockingly evil."
Prosecutor Bonde Johnson said, "He didn’t murder one person to truly know what it would be like to kill.
He killed five. He watched them lying there on the floor. They were under his control, for his enjoyment, as he shot each one."
Johnson read from Xaver’s disturbing writings: "It’s all I hear every day. It’s all I see every day. It’s all I smell and taste every day: blood, death, and murder."
Xaver’s defense attorney, Jane McNeill, argued for a life sentence, describing him as "broken," "mentally ill," and "brain damaged."
However, the jury's decision was clear: death for the man who brought such unimaginable pain and loss.
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