Michael Swisher, 29, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison for one count
each of Second-Degree Murder, Attempted Second-Degree Murder, and Resisting an Officer
without Violence. He pled guilty to the crimes.
In April 2018, Swisher was staying with a couple in East Fort Myers and left the door of their
home open, allowing their dogs to run away. When confronted about doing this, Swisher stabbed
the male homeowner multiple times. He survived. He then stabbed the female homeowner who
died from the attack.
After the stabbings, he fled the scene, first jumping into a canal. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office
arrived on scene and used a helicopter with heat seeking technology, along with deputies on the
ground, to locate Swisher. Lee County Sheriff’s K-9 Deputy Eli also assisted and was able to
track and physically secure the defendant when he failed to obey commands. He was found
hiding in a wooded area a couple of blocks from the crime scene.
Swisher also pled guilty and was adjudicated guilty for a separate case. He was sentenced to 5
years in prison for Possession of Cocaine and 5 years in prison for Possession of Marijuana Over
20 Grams to run concurrent to his first sentence.
Assistant State Attorneys Andreas Gardiner and Leena Marcos prosecuted the cases with
involvement from the victim and their family.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
239-533-1125
ssyoen@sao20.org