SEBRING, Fla. — The SunTrust bank building in Sebring where five women were murdered this past January is nearly gone.
Demolition crews tore away at the building Wednesday even as people from the area stopped to watch it happen.
Peggy Thorlton, who used to work at the bank, hopes it’s a major step toward healing.
“Yeah, I’m glad to see it go down,” said Thorlton.
She wasn’t alone.
Thornton and several others drove by - and even took a few photos - compelled to see the demolition for themselves.
“There were a lot of good people that work there, so it’s a painful memory,” said Thorlton.
Thorlton isn’t just a Sebring resident. She worked at the same bank branch for three years. She was a friend and co-worker to two of the women murdered.
Passing the building for months has been a difficult reminder, she says, of the horror that unfolded here Jan. 23.
That’s when law enforcement officials say gunman Zephen Xaver opened fire inside the bank for no apparent reason. He has pleaded not guilty.
A short time after the shooting, SunTrust made the decision not to reopen the bank branch along US-27 in Sebring, and instead tear it down.
Thorlton says that was the right thing to do.
“I just think it would be hard for the community to walk back in there. It would be hard for the employees. And it would be hard for the community,” she said.
Thorlton hopes seeing the bank building demolished will be another step in the healing process -- not just for her, but friends, family and the entire Sebring community, which has still been reeling from such a senseless tragedy.
“I do. For everybody,” said Thorlton. “Just because it holds so many painful memories for people.”
SunTrust bank says it still working with local officials in Sebring to decide what to do with the site once the demolition is complete.
Options include some sort of memorial to honor the lives of those killed.
Sebring bank where 5 died demolished
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