A 40-year-old Florida male is accused of hitting a woman in the head with a hammer and killing her in a horrific attack recorded on surveillance video outside a Fort Myers gas station convenience store Thursday morning.
Rolbert Joachin is charged with homicide and criminal mischief for damaging property in the 8 a.m. incident, WINK-TV reported.
'Very gut-wrenching ... very sad. That's someone's mom, daughter, sister.'
Several gas station employees told Gulf Coast News the victim was a clerk at the business.
Store surveillance video shows the suspect smashing a car windshield, Gulf Coast News said, adding that store employees said the vehicle belonged to the victim.
Video then shows the woman coming outside — and the suspect approaching her and hitting her in the head with the hammer, Gulf Coast News said.
The below video report from Gulf Coast News shows the surveillance video but blocks out the hammer attack on the victim.
The suspect then ran from the scene, after which three nearby schools were placed on brief lockdown, WINK said.
After a multi-hour search, police captured Joachin about a mile from the convenience store, the station said, adding that an arrest photo shows two officers detaining him in a neighborhood.
Arrest video also shows officers walking Joachin in handcuffs and placing him in the back of a police cruiser, WINK said. Joachin was taken to the Lee County Jail where he remained Friday morning. His jail record lists no bond and refers to Joachin as a transient.
Joachin's court appearance was set for 8:30 a.m. Friday but was postponed to Monday after Joachin's public defender requested a date change, which the judge granted, WINK reported.
The Gulf Coast News video report said the victim was the mother of two teenagers.
Andre Harris, a gas station regular, told Gulf Coast News the incident was "very gut-wrenching ... very sad. That's someone's mom, daughter, sister."
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3 random attacks, 3 women dead or nearly killed in South Florida
In the span of four months, three women in South Florida have been attacked by complete strangers, and each attack happened in public
In the span of four months, three women in South Florida have been attacked by complete strangers, and each attack happened in public.
Following the stabbing death of an elderly woman in Stuart on Thursday, WPBF 25 News began looking into similar cases in our area. Records show this most recent case is the third incident over the course of four months where a woman was violently attacked at random.
Dec. 22, 2025
The first case happened on Dec. 22, 2025, at a Palm Beach Gardens Barnes and Noble bookstore. According to officials with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, the victim, Rita B. Loncharich, 65, was found inside the store with multiple stab wounds. Loncharich was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
The suspect, identified as Antonio R. Moore, 40, was located by investigators a short time later. According to court records, Moore admitted to not knowing the victim and said that it was an unmotivated attack. Moore told officers that it was an “internal build-up that led to his fight or flight response kicking in,” and Loncharich was the closest person to him.
Moore is being held without bond in the Palm Beach County jail on a first-degree murder charge.
The first case happened on Dec. 22, 2025, at a Palm Beach Gardens Barnes and Noble bookstore. According to officials with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, the victim, Rita B. Loncharich, 65, was found inside the store with multiple stab wounds. Loncharich was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
The suspect, identified as Antonio R. Moore, 40, was located by investigators a short time later. According to court records, Moore admitted to not knowing the victim and said that it was an unmotivated attack. Moore told officers that it was an “internal build-up that led to his fight or flight response kicking in,” and Loncharich was the closest person to him.
Moore is being held without bond in the Palm Beach County jail on a first-degree murder charge.
Feb. 12, 2026
Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff's Office were called to Tiger Shores Beach the night of Feb. 12, 2026. When they got on scene, they found the victim, who was wet with bruising on the side of her neck and on the side of her face.
Sheriff John Budensiek said the woman was walking alone when she was attacked from behind. He said the suspect hit the woman, grabbed her around the throat, and dragged her into the ocean. Officials said the suspect held the woman down as she struggled to break free.
The suspect, identified as Said Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez, was arrested a few days later. Deputies said he could not explain why he attacked the victim, but that he only stopped the attack once he thought the victim was dead. Budensiek said deputies told Hernandez Gonzalez the victim was still alive and asked if he felt remorse, and he replied: "No, I don't feel nothing."
Hernandez Gonzalez was in the country illegally from Venezuela and is charged with attempted first-degree murder. He's being held in the Martin County Jail without bond.
Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff's Office were called to Tiger Shores Beach the night of Feb. 12, 2026. When they got on scene, they found the victim, who was wet with bruising on the side of her neck and on the side of her face.
Sheriff John Budensiek said the woman was walking alone when she was attacked from behind. He said the suspect hit the woman, grabbed her around the throat, and dragged her into the ocean. Officials said the suspect held the woman down as she struggled to break free.
The suspect, identified as Said Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez, was arrested a few days later. Deputies said he could not explain why he attacked the victim, but that he only stopped the attack once he thought the victim was dead. Budensiek said deputies told Hernandez Gonzalez the victim was still alive and asked if he felt remorse, and he replied: "No, I don't feel nothing."
Hernandez Gonzalez was in the country illegally from Venezuela and is charged with attempted first-degree murder. He's being held in the Martin County Jail without bond.
April 2, 2026
On April 2, 2026, the Martin County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a stabbing in Stuart's Southwood neighborhood. According to Sheriff John Budensiek, multiple neighbors called 911, stating a woman was being stabbed.
When a deputy arrived at the scene, Budensiek said the suspect was still stabbing the victim. The deputy got out of their patrol car and pulled their gun. The suspect then stopped attacking the woman, stretched himself on the ground, and dropped the weapon.
The suspect has been identified as 25-year-old Kersten Francilus. According to officials, Francilus lived in a nearby neighborhood. Investigators said that before the stabbing, Francilus was knocking on multiple doors, asking people where a new bank was.
Moments later, investigators said he approached a woman in her 70s who was walking her dog and stabbed her a total of 16 times.
Investigators said that when they asked Francilus to describe the victim, all he said was that she was Jewish. The victim died at the hospital.
There is no known connection between the suspect and the victim, and investigators said there is no clear motive. Francilus is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and is being held without bond in the Martin County jail.
On April 2, 2026, the Martin County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a stabbing in Stuart's Southwood neighborhood. According to Sheriff John Budensiek, multiple neighbors called 911, stating a woman was being stabbed.
When a deputy arrived at the scene, Budensiek said the suspect was still stabbing the victim. The deputy got out of their patrol car and pulled their gun. The suspect then stopped attacking the woman, stretched himself on the ground, and dropped the weapon.
The suspect has been identified as 25-year-old Kersten Francilus. According to officials, Francilus lived in a nearby neighborhood. Investigators said that before the stabbing, Francilus was knocking on multiple doors, asking people where a new bank was.
Moments later, investigators said he approached a woman in her 70s who was walking her dog and stabbed her a total of 16 times.
Investigators said that when they asked Francilus to describe the victim, all he said was that she was Jewish. The victim died at the hospital.
There is no known connection between the suspect and the victim, and investigators said there is no clear motive. Francilus is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and is being held without bond in the Martin County jail.
Self-defense and awareness
After hearing concerns from the community, WPBF 25 News spoke with a security expert on what steps people can take to protect themselves.
James Billig is a retired police officer and the CEO of BLUELINE SCG, a company that offers things like vulnerability assessments for residential communities and houses of worship, along with family-focused safety training. Billig is also a certified firearms instructor and teaches self-defense classes.
"From the potential victim's point of view is really where we need to focus, and that comes down to your situational awareness," he said.
Billig said that means being alert and aware of who and what is around you.
"Walking with authority with your eyes up, never have your face buried in your cell phone when you're walking around," he said.
He said it's important to present yourself with confidence, too.
"What you want to do is make sure that any potential suspect that's approaching you, you're aware that they're there and that you're going to take action. You're not lying down as a victim. That's the most important thing you can do," Billig said.
In response to the most recent case involving an elderly woman in Stuart, Billig said he'd recommend that the elderly community practice the buddy system.
"That's probably the easiest thing for them to do, especially in the elderly communities. They do stick together. They do a lot of community things, and there's nothing wrong with that because this threat came from outside of their community. You just don't know when that's going to happen. So sticking together is really important. Most attackers are rarely going to go after a pair. They're most likely going to look for the solo person to go after," he said.
If someone is comfortable with it and can legally do so, Billig said concealed carry, pepper spray, and tasers are great tools to have.
"Everything is about time and distance, about gaining as much time and distance as you can away from the threat to prevail and survive that attack that's coming after you. I think that you have to look at what your abilities are and make sure that you are following the law. I do hear a lot of people talk about putting bear spray in their purses or carrying bear spray, but you don't want to do that because that is illegal," he said.
Billig said self-defense classes can also be extremely useful.
"Working on that situational awareness is extremely important; always looking around you, making sure that you're not putting yourself in a compromising position where you could be attacked because you've created the opportunity for yourself to be attacked. We're not victim-blaming. The point is that you just need to have the vigilance to understand your surroundings, get to your area of safety as quickly as you can," Billig said.
He said he encourages people to have a plan before they leave the house for what they would do if something were to happen to them.
Following this most recent attack, Billig said it appears everyone nearby did exactly what they should have by calling 911. He said everyone's quick thinking may have potentially saved several lives.
After hearing concerns from the community, WPBF 25 News spoke with a security expert on what steps people can take to protect themselves.
James Billig is a retired police officer and the CEO of BLUELINE SCG, a company that offers things like vulnerability assessments for residential communities and houses of worship, along with family-focused safety training. Billig is also a certified firearms instructor and teaches self-defense classes.
"From the potential victim's point of view is really where we need to focus, and that comes down to your situational awareness," he said.
Billig said that means being alert and aware of who and what is around you.
"Walking with authority with your eyes up, never have your face buried in your cell phone when you're walking around," he said.
He said it's important to present yourself with confidence, too.
"What you want to do is make sure that any potential suspect that's approaching you, you're aware that they're there and that you're going to take action. You're not lying down as a victim. That's the most important thing you can do," Billig said.
In response to the most recent case involving an elderly woman in Stuart, Billig said he'd recommend that the elderly community practice the buddy system.
"That's probably the easiest thing for them to do, especially in the elderly communities. They do stick together. They do a lot of community things, and there's nothing wrong with that because this threat came from outside of their community. You just don't know when that's going to happen. So sticking together is really important. Most attackers are rarely going to go after a pair. They're most likely going to look for the solo person to go after," he said.
If someone is comfortable with it and can legally do so, Billig said concealed carry, pepper spray, and tasers are great tools to have.
"Everything is about time and distance, about gaining as much time and distance as you can away from the threat to prevail and survive that attack that's coming after you. I think that you have to look at what your abilities are and make sure that you are following the law. I do hear a lot of people talk about putting bear spray in their purses or carrying bear spray, but you don't want to do that because that is illegal," he said.
Billig said self-defense classes can also be extremely useful.
"Working on that situational awareness is extremely important; always looking around you, making sure that you're not putting yourself in a compromising position where you could be attacked because you've created the opportunity for yourself to be attacked. We're not victim-blaming. The point is that you just need to have the vigilance to understand your surroundings, get to your area of safety as quickly as you can," Billig said.
He said he encourages people to have a plan before they leave the house for what they would do if something were to happen to them.
Following this most recent attack, Billig said it appears everyone nearby did exactly what they should have by calling 911. He said everyone's quick thinking may have potentially saved several lives.
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