The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed Tuesday that federal agents played a key role in the capture of 40-year-old Rolbert Joachin, the man accused of bludgeoning a gas station clerk to death with a hammer.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assisted the Fort Myers Police Department in tracking Joachin to Mango Street, where he was taken into custody without further incident.
As the Tampa Free Press reported, the arrest follows a violent sequence of events on April 2. Surveillance footage from the scene shows a man smashing the windshield of a vehicle belonging to the victim, 51-year-old Nilufar Yasmin.
When Yasmin, a mother of two who was working as a clerk, walked outside to check on her car, the suspect allegedly struck her repeatedly in the head with a hammer.
The attack occurred in broad daylight and was described by investigators as an unprovoked escalation following a dispute over an ATM transaction the previous day.
New details regarding Joachin’s immigration history have emerged alongside the criminal charges. Federal records indicate that Joachin, a Haitian national, first entered the United States in August 2022.
While a federal judge issued a final order of removal against him that same year, he remained in the country under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). That protected status expired earlier in 2024.
The case has drawn sharp criticism from federal officials regarding immigration enforcement.
“This illegal alien barbarically hit this woman in the head multiple times with a hammer,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “This heinous murderer was released into the country… their reckless immigration policies cost this woman her life.” Bis added that the arrest serves as an example of how ICE and local police can cooperate to “swiftly bring criminals to justice.”
Fort Myers Police Chief Jason Fields previously noted that his department used every available resource, including K-9 units and aviation support, to ensure the suspect did not escape the area. “We had a cop on every single block,” Fields said of the manhunt.
Joachin is currently being held in the Lee County Jail without bond on charges of homicide and property damage. ICE has officially lodged a detainer against him, ensuring that he will face deportation regardless of the legal outcome of the murder trial. His next court appearance is set for May 4.
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