A Haitian man who illegally entered the United States has been sentenced to face the death penalty for the murder of a Fort Myers store clerk, prosecutors announced.
State Attorney Amira Fox revealed that a Lee County grand jury indicted 40-year-old Rolbert Joachin for the murder of Nilufa Easmin, a 51-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, which occurred on April 2 at a Fort Myers gas station.
Prosecutors allege that Joachin attacked Easmin outside the gas station, repeatedly hitting her on the head with a hammer, leading to her death.
Surveillance footage captured the attack, showing the victim being struck multiple times with a hammer after confronting Joachin about damaging her car window. Authorities described the footage as “extremely brutal and incredibly violent.”
Following the assault, Joachin fled the scene, sparking a citywide manhunt until Fort Myers police apprehended him.
“This crime was so violent, so extreme, so unwarranted. 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,” State Attorney Fox stated.
Fox added, “He will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. We will seek the death penalty in this case.”
President Donald Trump criticized the violent video and blamed the Biden administration for releasing the suspect in 2022.
“An Illegal Alien Criminal from Haiti, who was released into our Country by the WORST President in History, Crooked Joe Biden, and the Radical Democrats in Congress, just beat an innocent woman to death with a hammer at a gas station in Florida,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The video of her brutal slaying is one of the most vicious things you will ever see.”
“This one killing should be enough for these Radical Judges to STOP impeding my Administration’s Immigration Policies, and allow us to END THIS SCAM ONCE AND FOR ALL,” he added.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Joachin entered the U.S. in August 2022 and was released into the country under President Joe Biden’s administration.
A federal judge later issued a final order of removal against Joachin, but he received Temporary Protected Status, described by Trump as “a massively abused and fraudulent program.”
Trump also criticized “radical liberal district court judges” for obstructing efforts to terminate the program.
Joachin remained in the country after his Temporary Protected Status expired in 2024.
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
