Entered Illegally. Ordered Removed. Released Anyway.
Now Facing the Death Penalty for Beating a Mother to Death with a Hammer.
- Apr 2attackRolbert Joachin, 40, Haitian national, allegedly beat Nilufa Easmin, 51, repeatedly in the head with a hammer at a Fort Myers Chevron station — she died April 3
- 2022removal orderA federal immigration judge issued a final order of removal against Joachin in September 2022 — the Biden administration released him anyway and granted Temporary Protected Status
- 1°murder chargeLee County grand jury returned a First Degree Murder indictment — State Attorney Amira Fox (R-20th Circuit) announced the State will seek the death penalty
- ICEdetainer lodgedICE lodged a detainer on Joachin: 'He will be deported regardless of the outcome of this case' — DHS press release, April 7, 2026
On the morning of April 2, 2026, surveillance cameras at a Chevron gas station on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers, Florida captured a man smashing a car windshield with a hammer. When the car's owner — Nilufa Easmin, 51, a Bangladeshi-born naturalized U.S. citizen working the counter that morning — walked outside to confront him, the man walked toward her and struck her repeatedly in the head with the hammer. She collapsed. She was taken to the hospital and died the following day, April 3.
Fort Myers Police requested ICE assistance. Agents tracked the suspect to a home on Mango Street in Fort Myers and arrested him. The suspect: Rolbert Joachin, 40, a Haitian national who, according to the Department of Homeland Security, arrived in the United States by boat in August 2022, was apprehended by Border Patrol in a maritime smuggling event, received a final order of removalfrom a federal immigration judge in September 2022 — and was released into the country anyway. The Biden administration subsequently granted him Temporary Protected Status. He re-applied in 2024. His TPS remained active until the Trump administration revoked it in April 2026 — the week of the murder.
On May 7, 2026, a Lee County grand jury returned a First Degree Murder indictment against Joachin. State Attorney Amira Fox (R-20th Judicial Circuit) announced that prosecutors will seek the death penalty. The indictment specifically notes that Joachin “during the commission of said offense was an unauthorized alien.” ICE has lodged a detainer and says he will be deported regardless of the case's outcome. Joachin is presumed innocent of the murder charge until proven guilty in court.
She came here the right way. She was at work.
Nilufa Easmin emigrated from Bangladesh to the United States approximately six years before her death. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen. She was a mother of two daughters. Samir Bahadur Syed, President of the Bangladesh Association of Southwest Florida, described her in a GoFundMe campaign as a “devoted mother who worked tirelessly to provide for her two young daughters.” She was working as a store clerk at the gas station on the morning of April 2.
She did not know Rolbert Joachin. She walked outside because someone was destroying her car. She was struck in the head with a hammer. She died the next morning. She was 51 years old.
According to DHS and Fort Myers Police, surveillance footage shows Rolbert Joachin smashing a vehicle's windshield in the gas station parking lot. When Nilufa Easmin emerged from the store to confront him, Joachin approached her and struck her repeatedly in the head with a hammer. She fell. Authorities described the footage as “extremely brutal and incredibly violent.” Easmin was transported to the hospital and died the following day, April 3. Fort Myers Police immediately requested ICE assistance in tracking the suspect.
Caught at sea. Ordered removed. Released into America.
According to the DHS press release and ICE records, Rolbert Joachin arrived in the United States on August 6, 2022, aboard a water vessel near Key West, Florida. U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him in what ICE classified as a maritime smuggling event. A federal immigration judge issued a final order of removal against Joachin in September 2022.
Despite that removal order, the Biden administration released Joachin into the country and subsequently granted him Temporary Protected Status (TPS)— a humanitarian designation that temporarily shields nationals of designated countries from deportation. Haiti has held TPS designation for years based on conditions including the 2010 earthquake and subsequent political instability. Joachin re-applied for TPS in 2024 after his initial grant expired.
According to local reporting, Joachin's TPS protections remained active until the week of the murder— when the Trump administration revoked his TPS following the attack. The result: a man who had a federal removal order against him since 2022 was legally present in Lee County, Florida, in April 2026 under a status that the Biden administration granted over the objection of that standing removal order.
Aug 6, 2022:Arrives by boat near Key West — apprehended by Border Patrol in maritime smuggling event.
Sept 2022: Federal immigration judge issues final order of removal.
2022–2023: Biden administration releases Joachin and grants Temporary Protected Status.
2024: Joachin re-applies for TPS; application accepted before expiration.
Apr 2, 2026: Nilufa Easmin murdered at Fort Myers Chevron station.
Apr 3, 2026:ICE — requested by Fort Myers PD — locates and arrests Joachin at a home on Mango Street, Fort Myers. ICE lodges a detainer.
Apr 7, 2026:DHS issues official press release; Trump administration revokes Joachin's TPS.
May 7, 2026: Lee County grand jury returns First Degree Murder indictment. State Attorney Fox announces death penalty will be sought.
“We will seek the death penalty in this case.”
State Attorney Amira Fox (R) — 20th Judicial Circuit · Lee County Grand Jury Indictment Release · May 7, 2026
On May 7, 2026, a Lee County grand jury returned a First Degree Murder indictmentagainst Rolbert Joachin. The indictment describes the killing as “extremely brutal and incredibly violent” and specifically alleges that Joachin, “during the commission of said offense was an unauthorized alien” — a fact that under Florida law can be treated as an aggravating circumstance in capital proceedings.
State Attorney Amira Fox (R-20th Circuit) made the death penalty announcement publicly. Her office oversees criminal prosecutions for Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties in southwest Florida. The indictment followed a probable cause arrest in April; Joachin had been held in custody since Fort Myers Police and ICE arrested him on April 3, the day Easmin died.
Charge:First Degree Murder (premeditated) — Florida Statute § 782.04(1)(a)
Defendant:Rolbert Joachin, 40 — Haitian national, unauthorized alien at time of offense (per indictment language)
Victim:Nilufa Easmin, 51 — naturalized U.S. citizen, Bangladeshi immigrant, mother of two, Fort Myers store clerk
Penalty: State Attorney Amira Fox (R) has noticed the State will seek the death penalty
ICE status:Detainer lodged; DHS says Joachin will be deported “regardless of the outcome of this case”
Note: Rolbert Joachin is presumed innocent of these charges until proven guilty in a court of law.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published an official press release headlined “Haitian Illegal Alien Violently Kills Innocent Mother by Repeatedly Hitting Her with a Hammer Outside Gas Station in Fort Myers.” The release confirmed ICE's role in apprehending Joachin after Fort Myers Police requested assistance, and stated that an ICE detainer had been lodged.
ICE's Field Office Director stated: “We'll make sure he never gets to the streets of the United States and gets back to his home country.” The DHS release also pointed to Joachin's 2022 final removal order— a federal court order that was never executed because TPS status was granted over it. Under Florida law, unauthorized immigrant status is a statutory aggravator in capital cases.
“ICE assisted the Fort Myers Police Department in tracking down and arresting Rolbert Joachin — a Haitian illegal alien accused of bludgeoning an innocent mother to death with a hammer at a gas station in Florida.”
U.S. Department of Homeland Security · official press release · April 7, 2026
The case became national within days. President Trump posted the surveillance footage to Truth Socialon April 10, 2026, calling it “one of the most vicious things you will ever see” and describing the suspect as an “animal.” He attributed Joachin's presence in the country directly to Biden-era TPS policy. The clip circulated widely across X, Truth Social, and broadcast media.
In Congress, Republican members pointed to the case in floor debate over Haitian TPS. The House voted in mid-April to advance legislation that would have preserved Haitian TPS — a bill that passed with ten Republican votes and faced a veto threat from the White House. Republican leadership cited Joachin's case as evidence that TPS was being applied to individuals with outstanding removal orders — something the administration confirmed in the DHS press release.
Haitian illegal immigrant who fatally beat Florida store clerk with hammer will face death penalty — Lee County grand jury returns First Degree Murder indictment; State Attorney Amira Fox says death penalty will be sought.
A Haitian illegal alien violated an innocent mother — Nilufa Easmin — in broad daylight at a Fort Myers, Florida gas station. ICE assisted FMPD in tracking down and arresting this individual. He will be deported regardless of the outcome of this case.
The video of her brutal slaying is one of the most vicious things you will ever see. This ANIMAL was released into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden, and the Radical Left Democrats. HE HAD A COURT ORDER TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR COUNTRY, BUT THEY RELEASED HIM ANYWAY.
Her name was Nilufa Easmin. She came here legally, became a citizen, raised two daughters, and worked hard every day. She deserved protection from the Federal Government. The Biden Administration failed her. We will not fail the next Nilufa.
State Attorney (20th Judicial Circuit): Amira Fox (R)— announced the First Degree Murder indictment and death penalty notice; oversees prosecutions for Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties.
Lee County Sheriff: Carmine Marceno (R)— Lee County Sheriff's Office; Lee County does not maintain a sanctuary-style policy on ICE detainers.
Fort Myers Police Department:Chief who requested ICE assistance immediately after the April 2 attack; multiagency coordination led to Joachin's arrest within 24 hours.
Florida Governor: Ron DeSantis (R)— has spoken publicly about the Biden TPS policy that allowed Joachin to remain in the country despite the 2022 removal order.
ICE Field Office Director:On record stating Joachin “will never get to the streets of the United States” post-case and that deportation to Haiti will follow regardless of trial outcome.
Decision to grant TPS over removal order: Biden administration, 2022–2026 — Temporary Protected Status for Haiti granted and renewed despite a standing federal removal order against Joachin.
Rolbert Joachin arrived in the United States by boat in August 2022. A federal immigration judge ordered him removed the same year. The Biden administration overrode that order by granting Temporary Protected Status. He was in Fort Myers, Florida, on April 2, 2026, allegedly swinging a hammer at a naturalized American citizen who walked outside to ask him to stop. Nilufa Easmin — a Bangladeshi immigrant who came here legally, became a citizen, raised two daughters, and was working a shift at a gas station — died the next morning. A Lee County grand jury has indicted Joachin for First Degree Murder. The State of Florida will seek the death penalty. ICE says he'll be deported when it's over. The question nobody in the Biden White House appears able to answer is simple: why was the removal order not executed in 2022?