TAMPA, Fla. — A man accused of kidnapping a woman at gunpoint and sexually battering her is in custody and police say he's also facing charges for another crime.
Joseph Killins, 38, has been arrested and charged in connection with an armed kidnapping and sexual battery that took place on April 18, as well as an additional robbery that occurred on April 19.
In court on Monday morning, Killins learned he’s being held without bond pending a hearing this week. Killins will have a pre-trial detention hearing Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.
Killins was found and taken into custody late Friday night after detectives investigating the robbery followed leads to the Tampa Inn, located at 2901 E. Busch Blvd.
Police said on Tuesday around 11 p.m., the victim, a woman in her 20s, attempted to make a DoorDash delivery at the Residence Inn on W Boy Scout Blvd. When the woman walked up to the hotel to make the delivery, she was approached by a man with a gun who told her to get back into her car.
“He approached her as a crime of opportunity and pointed a gun in her face and demanded cash. When she couldn’t produce the cash, the suspect pushed that victim back into her vehicle,” said Sgt. Andrea Hughes with Tampa Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
Officials said that during this interaction, the woman was on an open call with her girlfriend on her AirPods. The family of the victim then called the police.
According to police, the suspect made the victim drive down to Belara Lakes Apartments, where he sexually battered her.
The victim's family was tracking her phone and arrived at the apartments to rescue her.
“They were actively following her location services and pings and then they were able to relay that information directly over to law enforcement which helped us find their end location," said Hughes.
When the victim's family came to rescue her, police said the suspect responded by firing a gun multiple times, with one shot striking a family member of the victim's girlfriend before fleeing the scene on foot.
Both victims were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Killins is currently being held at the Orient Road Jail and charged with armed kidnapping, robbery with a firearm, armed sexual battery, and aggravated battery with a weapon.
