SEBRING, Fla. — Zephen Xaver will soon learn his fate as jurors heard more testimony from the prosecutor's rebuttal witnesses.
The first to take the stand was neuropsychologist Jason Demery. He spoke about a MMPI-3 psychological test that Xaver took in 2022, that indicated he had anxiety and depression.
The prosecution also called back to the stand Greg Prichard, a licensed psychiatrist. Prichard said Xaver's medical records from past mental health episodes showed a consistent theme of a desire to harm people.
“Wanting to hurt people. That was the clinician's concern. His tendency to want to hurt people. They even had concerns about a long-term residential placement, but the concern was he might hurt somebody in one of those facilities,” Prichard said.
The state read out loud Facebook messages Xaver exchanged with a friend, where he talks about having violent fantasies. Prichard told jurors that Xaver's actions were contrary to hearing voices in his head.
“None of it sounds like voices. It sounds like Zephen Xaver is expressing his own interests, however peculiar to most people it may be. It's Zephen Xaver expressing his own interests and thoughts. Nothing related to auditory hallucinations,” said Prichard.
Prichard told the jury Xaver did not show signs of being psychotic, but his actions appeared to be a behavioral disorder.
In 2019, Xaver opened fire inside a Sebring SunTrust bank, killing four employees and one customer. He pleaded guilty to the murders.
Jurors will decide if he is sentenced to life without parole or the death penalty.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
