[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 11/16/20]
TAVARES, Florida — A man Lake Legal News reported on twice last year, once for holding a knife to a baby’s throat and again for the violent rape of his ex-girlfriend, is now accused of trying to hire someone to kill her.
Robert Louis Joynt, 28, has been in the Lake County Jail on no bond since October 2019 after his ex-girlfriend accused him pushing her inside of her apartment, tying her up, pointing a gun at her and raping her. At the time of the rape, Joynt was out on a bond for another violent attack where he was accused of holding a knife to the same woman’s throat and her 3-year-old son’s throat.
On Nov. 3, the same victim in Joynt’s earlier cases contacted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and said she received information that Joynt was trying to have her killed. She provided messages from Joynt’s former cellmate that stated Joynt offered him $7,500 to kill the woman. The witness confirmed to an LCSO detective Joynt did offer him $7,500 to kill her when he got out of jail so Joynt would not have to go to prison, according to an arrest affidavit.
Joynt made similar offers to at least three other people, but the witness did not know their names, he told the detective. Joynt also offered the victim $100,000 to drop the charges, the witness said.
The victim did confirm Joynt contacted her several months ago and told her to name her price and his father would pay her to drop the charges, the affidavit states. The detective then obtained jail phone calls and heard the witness tell his wife Joynt offered him money to kill the woman.
The witness was released from jail and Joynt continued to communicate with him and told him to get money from another male who is not named in the affidavit. Joynt told him to keep some of the money for himself and to make sure they were still on schedule to get the “list” done. The list was a reference to killing the victim, the affidavit states.
The witness messaged Joynt and stated he found the victim; he asked Joynt what he wanted him to do and asked if he could get half of the money upfront. Joynt replied and told him “just do it,” and he will get paid when Joynt is out of jail. Joynt also told him to be careful what he says, according to the affidavit.
The witness told LCSO he was never going to kill the woman, but felt he had to go along with it, so he was not a target. On Nov. 5, he received a text message from an unknown person stating, “joint (sic) needs to know if its (sic) done.” The witness questioned who was texting him and the person stated her husband is in LCJ and told her to send the text, but she did not know what it referred to. Joynt is now facing an added charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
[Read the original stories here: https://www.lakelegalnews.com/article/cops-rescue-lake-mom-and-toddler-who-had-knife-to-their-throats/ ] [https://www.lakelegalnews.com/article/violent-man-bonds-out-to-comit-one-of-lake’s-most-horrific-recidivist-attacks/ ]
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
