TAMPA, Fla. – Police in Tampa on Saturday announced the arrest of a man accused in the kidnapping and rape of a DoorDash driver earlier this week, according to a news release.
Joseph Killins, 38, was caught at a hotel after leads developed further in a robbery investigation that began the day after the April 18 attack, police said.
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That night, just after 11 p.m., Killins forced the DoorDash driver — a woman in her 20s — back into her vehicle at gunpoint, police said. The suspect made the woman drive them both back to an apartment complex where he raped her before the victim’s family tracked her cell phone to the location and rescued her, but not without being shot at multiple times by Killins, the release states. One of the shots hit a family member of the victim’s girlfriend, according to police.
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The following day at the same apartment complex, a woman in her early 40s was thrown to the ground and robbed by Killins, police said. Detectives working both cases collaborated and were eventually led to Killins, who allegedly disclosed details of the kidnapping and rape upon being interviewed.
Killins faces charges of armed kidnapping, robbery with a firearm, armed sexual battery and aggravated battery with a weapon, as well as a charge of robbery in connection with the April 19 incident. He was being held at the Orient Road Jail at last check.
“This criminal is now off the streets thanks to the tireless efforts of every Tampa Police Department employee and the assistance provided by members of our community,” Interim Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “My thoughts remain with the victims. I hope this arrest brings them a sense of comfort knowing that he will now face justice for the crimes he chose to commit.”
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