Jury Finds Joiner and Mercado Guilty of Armed Robbery, Kidnapping

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury found Trumaine Joiner and Francisco Mercado guilty of Armed Robbery, Armed Burglary with Assault or Battery, three counts of Kidnapping with a Firearm, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. They are both facing up to life in Florida State Prison. The Honorable Lindsay Tygart will sentence Joiner and Mercado at a future hearing. 

On July 29, 2021, Joiner and Mercado broke into an Arlington home where a woman and her daughter lived. The two men ambushed the first victim as she returned home in the early morning hours. Joiner and Mercado covered the first victim’s mouth and forced their way into the home as the daughter — a juvenile —opened the front door. One defendant held a knife to the daughter before the defendants forced both victims onto a couch at gunpoint. While inside the home, the defendants discovered a third victim upstairs and brought him downstairs. The defendants held all three victims against their will with a firearm while threatening them for about an hour. While this took place, the defendants also burglarized the home of numerous valuables.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Carolyn Auchter and Chyna Makarowski.