This morning, Joseph Rochford was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to life in prison, as a Habitual Felony Offender (HFO) and Prison Releasee Reoffender, for Witness Tampering. He was also sentenced to 360 months in prison as an HFO for Carrying a Concealed Weapon by a Convicted Felon. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison for Introduction of Contraband and 364 days in jail for Battery.
Rochford was convicted in September following a trial in Lee County. Assistant State Attorneys Christine Cummins and Steven Vitale prosecuted the case.
The case began in January 2023. The defendant and victim were housed in the Lee County Jail. The victim was a state witness in a case against the defendant.
One day the defendant came back from recreation time and snuck into the victim’s housing pod, which was across the hallway from his. He attacked the victim, striking them in the face, and then snuck back into his pod.
The defendant was then moved to a single cell. The case detective with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office went in the original pod where the defendant was housed, with the shakedown team, to see if any weapon could be found. Homemade tattooing equipment was found inside. A search of the defendant also revealed a metal shiv, concealed on his person.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director