State prosecutors seek to hold a man accused in the brutal Fort Myers bludgeoning of a woman without bond until his trial.
Rolbert Joachin, 40, faces charges of second-degree murder and criminal mischief in the death of a 51-year-old woman. Court documents have identified the victim by the name “Yasmin.”
The woman, a clerk of the D & D convenience store at 3500 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., was publicly bludgeoned to death with a suspected mallet.
Fort Myers Police arrested Joachin after he remained loose for several hours. Lee County Jail records indicate he is a transient.
After Joachin’s photograph began to circulate following the murder, at least four police officers recognized Joachin from prior interactions, according to court documents.
At least three witnesses told police they saw Joachin strike a car in the parking lot of the convenience store before he attacked the woman when she confronted him.
Joachin’s arrest report indicates police detained him on March 24 after they found him in possession of a stolen backpack. Authorities said Joachin carried the backpack at the time of the slaying.
Police detained Joachin along Mango Street. Authorities said the accused killer later provided a “detailed confession.”
The owner and landlord of the D & D store where the bludgeoning happened told a Bangladeshi news outlet that on the eve of the slaying Joachin attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM, and after he failed, he demanded cash from the clerk.
The owner also shared that the clerk is a mother who has two daughters, one who is a student at a university in Tallahassee and one who works at a different gas station in Fort Myers.
The morning after the clerk told Joachin that the storzze does not own the ATM and that she would be unable to give him any cash, Joachin showed up and began to damage the windshield of her car.
When the clerk confronted Joachin, he launched an attack, hitting her at least four times with the mallet, according to the arrest affidavit. Authorities said he also held a knife in the other hand.
Joachin faces a pretrial detention hearing on April 8. His arraignment is May 4.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
Please support Southwest Florida community journalism and stay informed about Southwest Florida news by subscribing to The News-Press and Naples Daily News; download the free News-Press or Naples Daily News app, and sign up for daily briefing email newsletter, food & dining and growth & development newsletters here and here.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: State seeks detention for transient man who bludgeoned woman to death
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
