Prosecutors say DNA work and tips helped move the case forward.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Prosecutors have charged Rolbert Joachin with second-degree murder in the death of Julia Grace Curvo, 28, whose body was found in January near a parking lot in downtown Fort Myers.
The charge marks a major step in a case that began as a missing person report and later became a homicide investigation. Authorities said Curvo died by strangulation. State Attorney Amira Fox announced the charge June 29, saying Fort Myers police gathered evidence, questioned witnesses and sent evidence for testing before prosecutors filed the case.
Curvo had been reported missing before her body was found less than a week later near a parking lot in downtown Fort Myers. Investigators have not publicly released every step in the case, but officials said the investigation included forensic evidence, witness interviews and tips submitted through Crime Stoppers. Fox said the work required coordination between Fort Myers police and prosecutors. “These investigations can be extremely complex,” Fox said, adding that witnesses and tipsters helped move the case forward.
Curvo’s father, Mark Curvo, and grandmother, Sandra Stephens, attended the announcement. A statement from Mark Curvo was read at the news conference. In it, he thanked the Fort Myers Police Department, Detective Daniel, Police Chief Jason Fields and the State Attorney’s Office for their work. He said the charge brought the family to a new point in “the pursuit of justice” for Julia Grace Curvo.
Joachin, 40, was already facing charges in a separate Fort Myers killing when prosecutors announced the Curvo charge. In that case, he is accused in the April death of a gas station clerk who authorities said was attacked with a hammer. Court records in that case show he pleaded not guilty. The Curvo case adds a separate homicide count tied to an earlier death investigation.
Assistant State Attorneys Sara Miller and Hamid Hunter, both with the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit, are prosecuting the Curvo case. Prosecutors have not publicly detailed all evidence they expect to present in court. The next steps will include court filings, discovery and hearings in Lee County as the case moves through the criminal justice system.
Fox said the prosecution remains focused on Curvo’s family as well as the evidence. “These are not just cases, but life changing moments,” Fox said. Curvo’s family said their grief remains tied to a search for accountability after her death.
The case stands as an active murder prosecution in Lee County. Further hearings will determine how the second-degree murder charge proceeds.
Author note: Last updated July 9, 2026.