WINK News: Man held without bond in killing of family member

Reporter Dannielle Garcia
Writer Jack Lowenstein

A man is accused of killing a family member of the mother of his children. The prosecutor is calling a  Fort Myers homicide, “an extremely troublesome one.” Deadly domestic violence cases are on the rise during the pandemic.

A Lee County judge ordered suspect Jaquan Robinson to be held without bond Thursday.

During the hearing, we learned Robinson admitted he went to a home to kill the mother of his children.

The assistant state attorney did not hold back when they asked a judge to order Robinson be held without bond.

Wednesday, Fort Myers Police Department arrested Robinson for killing the great-aunt of the mother of his children.

In fact, the grandmother of the family had a domestic violence protective order against Robinson. A judge granted it after she testified Robinson got physical with her. The prosecutor said Robinson violated the protective order in March and was out on bond at the time of the murder.

“We know, in about a fourth of the cases, it doesn’t stop them at all,” said Linda Oberhaus, the CEO for the Shelter for Abused Women and Children.

In Oberhaus’ experience, protection orders do not stop people determined to kill. In 2019, 31% of killers in deadly domestic violence cases had a restraining order against them. Oberhaus told us financial stress, isolation and lockdowns because of the pandemic have made things worse.

“When you have victims sheltering in place with their abuser, they’re much less likely to pick up the phone and call a domestic violence hotline,” Oberhaus said.

The Shelter for Abused Women & Children is starting a local text program for victims of domestic violence if they don’t feel comfortable or safe talking on the phone. The shelter is expected to be rolling out its new domestic violence Text Hotline to the community in November.

Members of the community will be able to simply text the existing hotline at (239) 775-1101 and have access to a domestic violence advocate 24/7, 365 days a year. The shelter expects to see a spike in reporting from adults and teens who are in abusive relationships once this new service goes into effect.

We asked Fort Myers Police Department whether domestic violence calls are up since the onset of the pandemic, and the short answer was yes. There were 90 related calls in September alone. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Someone local will take the call.