Jose Mike Espichan, 27, of Fort Myers, was found guilty as charged of Second Degree Murder with a Firearm. The jury returned the guilty verdict following a three-day trial in
Fort Myers.
On September 1, 2021, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call about a shooting in Fort Myers, near the intersection of Palm Lane and Orange River Blvd. Deputies responded and located a man on the ground, who had been shot multiple times. He died at the scene.
A white Cadillac SUV, involved in the incident, was located by Fort Myers Police Officers on I-75, not far from the crime scene. Officers conducted a traffic stop. Inside the SUV was a female driver, the defendant, and two children.
The investigation uncovered what happened leading up to the shooting. The defendant and his girlfriend were at her home when she saw two vehicles drive by, the victim’s pick-up truck driven by
his father, and a car, with the victim’s girlfriend driving, the victim, and their children inside. These were her neighbors that she was in a dispute with about a dog a few weeks prior.
She and the defendant then got in the SUV and followed the vehicles, which stopped at a stop sign. The victim exited the car to help his father with an issue on the truck. The defendant yelled at them to move and then pulled out a firearm and shot the victim.
Assistant State Attorney Martin Stark of the Homicide Unit and Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Justham prosecuted the case. Sentencing is scheduled for September 27th.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorneys Office