Joachin indicted for first degree murder
Man accused of killing woman with a hammer
A Fort Myers man accused of killing a woman with a hammer has been indicted for first degree murder and prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.
State Attorney Amira Fox convened this term’s Lee County Grand Jury and they officials said a press conference held Thursday.
Joachin is accused of attacking 51-year-old woman at her workplace in Fort Myers on April 2, “repeatedly hitting her in the head with a hammer, bludgeoning her to death.”
“The store surveillance video shows what happened in this case,” Fox said. “Many of you have seen it already. President Trump posted it on his Truth Social page. The video dramatically demonstrates the violence and havoc that a person who enters this country unlawfully can wreak. It shows the defendant smashing the victim’s car windshield outside of the store. You can see the victim inside of the store near the door and then exiting the store.
“As soon as she came out of the door, the defendant rushed towards her with the hammer raised. He struck her at full force in the head. She fell to the ground after the first impact from the weapon and the defendant continued his attack, with repeated hammer blows to her head. He left her laying on the
ground with her head beaten and bloodied.”
Joachin fled after the attack, officials said, and a city-wide manhunt ensued. He was apprehended by Fort Myers police.
“This crime was so violent, so extreme, so unwarranted,” Fox said. “It is something that once seen, is never to be forgotten. I want to thank the Lee County Grand Jury who watched and reviewed the gruesome evidence in this case and gave their full attention. I know it was not easy. This defendant entered the United States illegally and brutally ended the life of a mother simply at her job, working to provide for her family,” Fox said.
The indictment for the First Degree Murder count states:
“Rolbert Joachin On or about April 2, 2026, in Lee County, Florida, did effect the death of ‘the victim.’ by inflicting blunt force injuries upon her using a weapon, to wit: a hammer or blunt instrument, contrary to Florida Statute, and during the commission of said offense was an unauthorized alien.”
“To the family and friends of the victim and our community, I want you to know that we are doing everything possible to seek justice starting with this First Degree Murder Indictment. He will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. We will seek the death penalty in this case,” Fox said.
Joachin remains in the Lee County jail where he is being held without bond.
In addition to the charge of homicide-murder first degree premeditated, he has been a charged with second degree murder and two counts of criminal mischief.