Evidence reveals Sebring killer’s spiral from fantasy to murder

Reporter: Maddie Herron
Published: Updated:
Sebring
Zephen Xaver in court. CREDIT: WINK News

A chilling timeline of evidence revealed what a killer was thinking leading up to mass murder at a Sebring bank.

A note on Zephen Xaver’s phone spells out the voices he was hearing in his head and how much he loved death and destruction.

The evidence was laid out in court on Friday as jurors decide whether Xaver will live or die for the execution-style murders of five women at a Sebring bank.

Detectives found a shocking data trail on Xaver’s phone, and each breadcrumb revealed Xaver’s urge to kill, hours, weeks, and even months before brutally murdering five women.

A stone-faced and seemingly bored Xaver sat with his head resting on his hands while the loved ones of the five women he shot and killed shared their heartbreak.

But what drove him to kill the women? The state had Sebring Police Lt. Jeffery Reinhart take the stand on how Xaver’s phone helped create a timeline tracing back to public chatrooms focused on murder and serial killers.

The state also pointed out texts to dead friends saying he would soon see them in Hell.

Arguably, the most shocking detail was a note on Xaver’s phone that investigators said could have been written as early as half a year before the shooting.

“My heart races as I crave the taste of blood in making them. I thrive on chaos, and it makes me feel hope. Without it, my chest pains as I tried to fit in a puzzle. I don’t belong. I cannot help what I love, and I love seeing the death to start. Wonder what it be like to truly kill,” recited Reinhart, the case agent, while on the stand.

Precisely why Xaver killed the five women may never be known. However, we do know that their loved ones will never be the same.

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