Suspect In Florida Bank Massacre Enter Not Guilty Plea

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SEBRING (CBSMiami/AP) — A man accused of killing five women inside a Sebring bank last month has entered a not guilty plea.

Zephen Xaver filed the written plea Wednesday. He requested a jury trial and said he will likely file a motion challenging the legality of his indictment.

Xaver, 21, waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing that had been scheduled for next Monday.

Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty against Xaver.

Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Xaver on five counts of first-degree murder in the January 23rd shooting deaths of four employees and a customer at the SunTrust bank in Sebring in central Florida.

Sebring police said the women were shot in an apparently random act of violence. The victims were found lying face down, their bodies surrounded by shell casings, according to court documents.

The shooter called police six minutes later to report that he had fired shots inside the bank. Negotiations failed to persuade him to leave the building. The SWAT team then entered the bank and the gunman eventually gave up, police said.

Florida Department of Corrections records show that Xaver was hired as a trainee prison guard at Avon Park Correctional Institution on November 2nd and resigned January 9th. No disciplinary issues were reported.

Xaver remains jailed without bond.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)