Rachel Reloni Robinson has been found guilty as charged of Aggravated Battery, Petit Theft, and Resisting a Merchant’s Efforts, with all special findings, including Great Bodily Injury as a Result of Discharge, following a trial in Lee County.
Assistant State Attorney Marilla Shoemaker prosecuted the case.
The crime happened on February 15, 2024. The Fort Myers Police Department responded to an assault at a gas station on Cleveland Avenue and found a man laying on the ground bleeding.
The defendant was nearby talking on a cellphone when officers arrived and a witness told them she shot the man. An officer saw the handle of a gun sticking out of the defendant’s handbag and she was detained.
Evidence presented at trial was surveillance video from the store that showed the defendant taking drinks out of a cooler in the store and then walking out without paying. The victim, a store employee, attempted to stop the theft by reaching to take the drinks out of her hands. She then punched him. He tried to defend himself and get away from her. The defendant than shot him.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 25, 2025.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director