Highlands County: Jury recommends death for Zephen Xaver
On June 26, a jury recommended by a vote of 9-3 that Xaver be sentenced to death.
Zephen Xaver pled guilty to five counts of first-degree murder for shootings that occurred at a Central Florida bank in 2019. Jury selection began in late May.
Before trial, as TFDP previously covered, the judge ruled that Florida’s 2023 capital sentencing statute would apply at Xaver’s trial.
On June 26, a jury recommended that Xaver be sentenced to death. The jury verdict form is not yet available on the docket. According to news reports, the jury recommended death on each of the five counts of first-degree murder by a vote of 9-3.
Under Florida’s 2023 capital sentencing statute, the trial court has the discretion to impose a sentence of LWOP rather than death despite the jury’s recommendation. The docket does not reflect when sentencing is scheduled. According to a news report, sentencing is set for mid-July.