Judge Tells Defendant 'Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Ears' As Trial Opens In Alleged Attack On DoorDash Driver

TAMPA, Fla. — As the trial opened on Aug. 11, 2026, a judge repeatedly warned the defendant to control his behavior in court as prosecutors described a violent, hours-long episode that allegedly targeted a DoorDash delivery driver.

Joseph Killins, 41, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges stemming from an incident prosecutors say occurred on April 18, 2023, including sexual battery, armed kidnapping, attempted first-degree murder and robbery.

Before the jury took their seats, Judge Lindsay Alvarez delivered a stern admonition to Killins: if he disrupted the proceedings, she would remove him from the courtroom. The warning set the tone for a courtroom exchange later in the day.

Prosecution's Account

In opening statements, Assistant State Attorney Jessica Couvertier told jurors that the alleged victim was delivering a pizza for DoorDash when she was confronted by Killins. According to the prosecutor, Killins held the driver at gunpoint, forced her back into her vehicle and sat in the back seat behind her.

For two hours, he made her drive around the Tampa area, still making demands and trying to decide what to do with her, the prosecutor said.

Couvertier said the defendant eventually told the driver to stop and park at an apartment complex, where the alleged sexual assault occurred. The victim's girlfriend — who had been on the phone with the driver — used the driver's phone location to help find her. The girlfriend and her twin sister located the vehicle; the girlfriend pulled the victim to safety while her twin sister approached the defendant with a bat and, prosecutors say, was then shot in the head.

Joseph Killins speaks to the judge on Aug. 11, 2026. (Court TV)

Police arrived after Killins fled. Authorities allege he ran to a nearby apartment complex and, the next morning, was arrested after an alleged attack on a different woman at the same complex.

Victim Testimony And Defense Concerns

The alleged victim testified as the first witness. She said Killins threatened her life if she tried to do anything else and that during the drive she considered jumping from the car but was too frightened to do so.

During a brief recess in testimony, defense attorney Jonathan Hackworth told the judge his client insisted on a line of questioning about which directions the driver turned while in the car. Hackworth warned that those questions could expose evidence that had been previously suppressed.

When Killins attempted to speak in court, Judge Alvarez cut him off and said, 'I want you to shut your mouth and open your ears.' She reminded him of her earlier warning about courtroom decorum and said she was watching his emotional state closely.

Testimony resumed after lunch.

Coverage provided by Court TV. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.