A late-night robbery turned deadly outside a Lake Worth Beach home on May 5, 2023. Deputies responded at 11:24 p.m. after reports of a shooting; 54-year-old Leonardo Hernandez Mendez was found with gunshot wounds to the head and chest and later ruled to have died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Witnesses described a man in a black ski mask who approached, demanded money, and, after a struggle when the demand was refused, fired a single shot that struck the victim.

Detectives used surveillance footage and witness statements to trace the suspect to a room at the Travel Inn motel where a semi-automatic pistol and the suspect’s identification card were recovered outside the room. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Lake Worth Beach resident Jason Nozistene, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder, attempted robbery with a firearm while masked, and delinquent in possession of a firearm. He was denied bail and taken to the county jail.

The mayor said the community is shaken and urged neighbors to report suspicious activity. If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about what happened that night, please come forward to assist the investigation.