Authorities have charged a suspect with first-degree murder following a brutal daylight attack that left a convenience store clerk dead at a Fort Myers gas station.
Rolbert Joachin was apprehended by the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) in connection with the April 3 killing. The investigation, which involved federal oversight, has revealed a sequence of “violent and unprovoked” actions leading to the victim’s death.
According to the arrest report, police responded to emergency calls reporting a woman being struck with a hammer outside a gas station convenience store. Upon arrival, officers discovered an unresponsive female victim on the ground; emergency medical services pronounced her dead at the scene.
Witness testimony provided a chilling account of the incident. A bystander told investigators he observed a male suspect, later identified as Joachin, armed with a mallet and a knife. Joachin reportedly used the tools to smash the windshield of a black SUV before approaching the victim.
The witness stated that Joachin struck the woman in the head with the mallet, causing her to collapse. Once she was on the ground, the suspect allegedly struck her three to four more times.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release confirming that Joachin, a Haitian national, was residing in the United States illegally at the time of the homicide. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents assisted local law enforcement in tracking and arresting Joachin within hours of the attack.
“The suspect is accused of bludgeoning an innocent mother to death with a hammer… violently killing her in broad daylight,” the DHS statement read.
FMPD investigators confirmed that Joachin allegedly confessed to the killing during custodial interrogation. While the victim’s identity has not been formally released by police, she was confirmed to be an employee of the gas station’s convenience store.
Joachin remains in custody. It is not yet clear if he has secured legal representation or entered a formal plea to the first-degree murder charge.
