Vigil held for murdered 7-Eleven clerk, still no arrests

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – Friends and family of 18-year-old Kyle Farishian held a vigil at the Punta Gorda Nature Park on Sunday night.

Many of his coworkers and customers were also in attendance. They describe him as a young man full of energy and spunk.

“He was always happy. Whenever I went in he was always happy, he was very polite, cordial,” Scott Henderson who is a frequent customer at the 7-Eleven said.

“He was a joyful kid with always a smile on his face, always loved and a good heart,” Stephanie Sickler, another customer, said.

On November 1st, Farishian was working the overnight shift at the 7-Eleven near Bal Harbor Boulevard and Aqui Esta Drive. Around 3 a.m., the gas station went up in flames and Farishian was found dead inside. Since then, Punta Gorda police have released photos of the suspect and dive teams searched a nearby lake for any clues.

“Turn yourself in, this was heinous. I can’t express how heinous this is,” Henderson said.

“We often believe that violence happens some place else, in another community, in another state, another nation,” said a speaker at the vigil.

Most of the people at the vigil knew the 18-year-old because they live in the normally quiet area. They say they are touched by his story, and never want people to forget him.

“I know a lot of people are lost and confused as to why this happened to him,” Sickler said.

“I know he loved his job and I was just heart-stricken to see this kind of thing happen in our community,” Henderson said.

If you have any information, call Punta Gorda police at 941-639-4111 or Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 800-780-TIPS (8477). An $11,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest in the case.