An illegal immigrant from Haiti has been charged with multiple felonies after he allegedly killed the woman he was living with and strangled a woman living next door, police said.
The suspect, Whycliff Longin, 28, was arrested Aug. 27 by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Relatives of murder victim Amadette Longin said that she viewed Longin “as a nephew” and she was letting him stay with her, according to local reports.
Longin now faces charges of homicide, attempted homicide, sexual battery and occupied burglary with a battery. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer with the Lee County Jail the same day he was arrested.
This BIDEN-RELEASED Haitian illegal alien KILLED one woman and attempted to strangle another.
Whycliff Longin should have NEVER been in our nation and his victim should still be alive today.
ICE has lodged a detainer, and we will ensure this killer is NEVER released into an… pic.twitter.com/YmIixdqbaS
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 2, 2026
According to jail records, he remains in jail and his bond has not been set. His next hearing is set for Sept. 28.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Longin illegally entered the United States through Florida in 2024. He was then released into the country by the Biden Administration.
“This dangerous illegal alien should have never been allowed into our country in the first place,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “If it weren’t for the Biden Administration’s reckless open-border policies, Amadette Longin would still be alive.”
Deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic disturbance at 2:54 a.m. Aug. 27 in Lehigh Acres, Florida, about 17 miles east of Fort Myers, Florida.
During a news conference, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno described it as a “brutal attack.” He said that deputies were called to one side of the duplex in reference to a domestic disturbance, Gulf Coast News reported.
Gulf Coast News identified Amadette Longin as the suspect’s aunt and the initial victim who called police as his cousin.
The woman who called police said that she woke up to a man on top of her and strangling her.
“The suspect then covered her mouth and continued his efforts to choke her,” Marceno said. “She fought with everything she had to survive. After several agonizing minutes, the victim managed to break free.”
Sheriff Marceno said she managed to escape and barricaded herself in another room before calling 911.
Longin fled from the home into a neighboring duplex, Marceno said. Deputies, detectives and a K-9 team quickly surrounded the area, and officers took the suspect into custody out in the street.
They did a sweep of the duplex and found the second victim, Amadette Longin, dead inside the home. Marceno described her injuries as obvious signs of blunt-force trauma.
The sheriff described it as a “domestic relationship,” but did not publicly detailed the exact relationship between Longin and the women involved, WINK News reported.
Sheriff Marceno said the suspect did not have a criminal history and said the motive was domestic violence. In Lee County, he said they have 11 homicide cases and seven are domestic related.
“This could have been, god forbid, a second homicide,” Marceno said. “It’s a horrific incident. My thoughts and prayers are with the family members.”
Family members said Amadette Longin was letting Whycliff Longin stay with her while he was seeking asylum from Haiti.
Her niece, Lutiana Longin, spoke to WINK News and said her aunt was someone who centered much of her life around family.
“I’d say that she was an amazing woman,” Lutiana said. “She helped everyone, friends, family, neighbors — you can ask neighbors. They know her as a loving person.”
During the news conference, Marceno said Longin’s criminal case will proceed through the state justice system despite his immigration status. The sheriff’s office said the investigation is continuing.
“Our detectives will continue to conduct interviews, review forensic evidence and build a case that will win in court,” Marceno said.
The Lee County murder investigation is the latest homicide in Florida tied to an illegal immigrant in recent weeks.
Near Tallahassee, Florida, Luis Eduardo Olla-Hernandez, a MS-13 member from El Salvador, was charged with first-degree murder after shooting a man multiple times and burning his body, police said.
In Jacksonville, four illegal immigrants were arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a legal refugee in a park. And a Nicaraguan migrant allegedly chased his roommate and fatally stabbed him with a machete in a trailer park in Hallandale Beach, near Hollywood, Florida.
