Reporters: Maddie Herron || Claire Galt
•6/30/2026
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Rolbert Joachin has been charged in the murder of Julia Curvo, and her father Mark Curvo says the news brings mixed emotions.
Mark Curvo said he is happy the State Attorney's Office is holding someone accountable, but he has had to learn devastating details about how his daughter died. WINK News reporter Maddie Herron spoke with Mark at the memorial where Julia's body was discovered.
Curvo described his daughter as a beautiful singer who always looked out for her friends and family, even during her own struggles. The memorial has fresh flowers, a pink seashell and a seahorse vase because the beach was her favorite place to be.
"Julia was sensitive in sensitive, beautiful young woman. She had a beautiful angelic voice. She wrote her own music for years and years," Mark Curvo said.
He said Julia would check on him during their conversations, even when she sensed he was upset or sad about something.
Right now, her family is focusing on keeping Julia's memory alive. Curvo said Julia will be heartbreakingly missed by everyone who knew her.
Joachin currently resides in the Lee County Jail with an ICE hold. Julia Curvo's family can't help but wonder if her death could have been prevented.
Joachin had a final order of removal but remained in the United States after getting temporary protected status, and even after that status expired.
"I don't believe he should have been here, and I believe that if he had not been here, two women, as he should not have been here, at least two women that we're aware of, one of which is my beloved daughter. Julia would still be here," Mark Curvo said.
When the Department of Homeland Security announced Joachin's arrest in April, the agency said ICE had lodged a detainer against him and that he would be deported "regardless of the outcome" of his criminal case. Since then, Joachin has been charged with a second murder.
If he's convicted, a legal question remains about whether he would serve a life sentence or even a death sentence in Florida before he's deported. Criminal defense attorney Jill Prenger weighed in on the matter.
"So at this point they have a detainer on him, and it is, I think, going to come down to the outcome of the case. If there is an outcome in which that he is found guilty, the sentence that is imposed by the state would have to play out before immigration could pick him up and have him deported. It would have to be a very limited situation where immigration would take him before any sort of sentence is served," Prenger said.
There's another legal question still hanging over the case. Earlier this year, Florida passed a law requiring the death penalty for certain undocumented immigrants convicted of capital felonies.
The law is currently blocked while it's challenged in court. Court records show Joachin's attorneys have also filed a challenge, arguing the law is unconstitutional.
WINK News reached out to ICE to ask whether the agency still stands by its April statement that Joachin would be deported "regardless of the outcome" of his case, now that he's facing two murder prosecutions. WINK News is still waiting for a response.
