Judge Finds Probable Cause in Lehigh Acres Killing as ICE Lodges Detainer

A Lee County judge has found probable cause on charges of second-degree murder, attempted murder, sexual battery and occupied burglary with battery against a 28-year-old man arrested in connection with a killing in Lehigh Acres, according to accounts of the court appearance. The Lee County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Whycliff Longin at a news conference held by Sheriff Carmine Marceno, describing an August 27 incident at a duplex in which one woman was killed and a second reported being attacked. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the Lee County Jail on the day of the arrest. Longin has been charged and has not been convicted, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

What investigators describe

According to the sheriff's office, deputies responded on August 27 to a report of a domestic disturbance at a duplex in Lehigh Acres, an unincorporated community in eastern Lee County. Upon arrival they found the body of a woman identified as Amadette Longin.

The woman who called 911 told investigators she woke to a man on top of her who was strangling her, broke free and barricaded herself in a bathroom to make the call. Deputies took a suspect into custody at the scene.

Sheriff Marceno characterized the incident as a brutal attack in his public remarks. Agencies frequently use such language in announcing arrests, and it reflects the agency's characterization rather than a judicial finding.

The specific relationship between the parties has been described in reporting as involving people known to one another. Investigators have not publicly detailed the full circumstances, which is typical while a case is in its early stages.

The probable cause finding

At a first appearance, a judge reviews whether there is probable cause to believe the charged offenses were committed and that the arrested person committed them. Probable cause is a substantially lower standard than the proof beyond a reasonable doubt required for conviction.

The judge in this case found probable cause on second-degree murder, attempted murder, sexual battery and occupied burglary with battery. That finding permits the case to continue and informs decisions about pretrial detention.

Second-degree murder in Florida involves a killing by an act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind, without premeditated design. It is distinguished from first-degree murder, which requires premeditation or commission during an enumerated felony.

The State Attorney's Office for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, which covers Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry counties, will make the formal charging decision. Prosecutors may file the same charges, different charges or additional counts based on their review of the evidence.

The immigration detainer

The Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE lodged a detainer with the Lee County Jail on the day of the arrest, and identified the defendant as a Haitian national who is in the country unlawfully.

An immigration detainer is a request from ICE that a local jail hold a person for up to 48 hours beyond the point at which they would otherwise be released, so that federal officers can take custody. It is a request rather than a warrant in the criminal sense, though Florida law now requires cooperation.

Under Florida law, all 67 counties must maintain formal enforcement partnership agreements with federal immigration authorities, which means detainers filed in Florida are honored as a matter of state law rather than local discretion.

A detainer does not affect the criminal case. State charges proceed first, and any federal immigration action follows the resolution of state proceedings, whether that is a conviction, an acquittal or a dismissal.

Southwest Florida context

Lehigh Acres is one of the largest unincorporated communities in Florida, a sprawling grid of residential lots platted decades ago in eastern Lee County. Its population has grown substantially as Southwest Florida's housing costs pushed residents inland from Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

The community is served by the Lee County Sheriff's Office rather than by a municipal police department, and its size and layout present policing challenges. Response distances are long and the population density varies widely across the platted area.

Lee County's population overall has grown rapidly, and the sheriff's office has expanded accordingly. The county was also among the hardest hit by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and has been in a rebuilding posture since.

Domestic violence is a persistent public safety issue statewide. Florida reports tens of thousands of domestic violence offenses annually, and homicides arising from domestic circumstances represent a meaningful share of the state's murder total each year.

Getting help

Florida operates a statewide domestic violence hotline available 24 hours a day, and certified domestic violence centers operate in every judicial circuit, providing emergency shelter, advocacy, counseling and assistance with injunctions.

Injunctions for protection, commonly called restraining orders, can be sought through the circuit court without an attorney and without a filing fee in domestic violence cases. The clerk of court in each county provides the forms and basic procedural assistance.

Advocates emphasize that leaving is frequently the most dangerous period in an abusive relationship, and that safety planning with a trained advocate is more effective than acting alone.

Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. The national hotline and Florida's statewide hotline both provide confidential support for people who are not in immediate crisis but need guidance.

How the case will proceed

The case moves next to formal charging by the State Attorney's Office, followed by arraignment. Homicide cases in Florida typically take a year or more to reach resolution, and many resolve by plea rather than trial.

Discovery in a case of this nature will include forensic evidence, medical examiner findings, digital records and witness statements. The surviving complainant's testimony would be central to the attempted murder and sexual battery counts.

Pretrial detention is standard in homicide cases in Florida, where the state may seek to hold a defendant without bond on charges punishable by life imprisonment when proof is evident or the presumption great.

Court filings and hearing dates are available through the Lee County Clerk of Court, which maintains a publicly searchable docket.

How Florida charges homicide

Florida law divides homicide into several categories with sharply different consequences. First-degree murder requires premeditation or a killing committed during an enumerated felony, and it is punishable by death or life imprisonment without parole.

Second-degree murder covers a killing by an act imminently dangerous to another that evinces a depraved mind, without premeditated design. It is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life imprisonment, and Florida's sentencing structure produces substantial mandatory minimums where a firearm is involved.

Manslaughter covers killings by culpable negligence or in the heat of passion following adequate provocation, and carries lower exposure. Prosecutors frequently charge at a higher degree and negotiate downward, or present lesser included offenses to a jury.

The felony murder doctrine allows a first-degree charge when a death occurs during commission of certain felonies including burglary and sexual battery, both of which are among the charges the judge found probable cause on here. That makes the eventual charging decision consequential.

Reading a first appearance

The first appearance hearing is often the only view the public gets of a criminal case for months, and it is frequently misread. The judge at first appearance is not evaluating guilt. The judge is determining whether there is probable cause to justify continued detention and setting conditions of release.

Probable cause means a reasonable basis to believe an offense occurred and that the person committed it. It is a threshold that the state clears in the overwhelming majority of arrests, and clearing it says almost nothing about the ultimate strength of a case.

Defense attorneys typically say little at first appearance because they have not yet received discovery. The state's summary of allegations is therefore the only account presented, which gives early coverage an inherently one-sided character.

The substantive contest begins later, after discovery, when the defense has seen the evidence and can test it. Readers following a case should treat the first appearance as procedural rather than as an early verdict.

Reporting standards in cases like this

Coverage of criminal cases carries obligations that are easy to state and harder to maintain. A person who has been arrested has been accused, not convicted, and the language used to describe them shapes public perception in ways that can persist even after an acquittal.

The Florida Press uses charged, accused and alleged until there is a conviction, attributes factual claims to the agency or court record that produced them, and distinguishes between what investigators assert and what a court has found.

Immigration status is reported when it is part of the official record and relevant to a documented action, such as a detainer filed by a federal agency. It is not a substitute for the facts of the criminal allegation, and it establishes nothing about guilt.

Victims are identified only when authorities have released the name, and surviving complainants in sexual battery cases are not named, consistent with Florida public records exemptions and standard journalistic practice.

What's next

Watch for the State Attorney's formal charging decision, which will establish the counts the defendant actually faces going forward. Arrest charges and filed charges frequently differ.

The medical examiner's findings will also be significant, since cause and manner of death shape whether the state pursues second-degree murder or seeks a first-degree charge.

The immigration detainer remains pending regardless of how the criminal case develops, and would take effect only if and when the defendant is released from state custody.

The Florida Press will report on developments as the case advances. Until there is a plea or verdict, every allegation in the case remains unproven.