Fort Myers man gets mandatory life sentence for armed robbery

Office of the State Attorney 20th Judicial Circuit reports Fort Myers man Rfeal Wigfals, 60, who is a Prison Release Re-Offender, now faces a mandatory life sentence following a two-day trial that ended Friday.

Wigfals was found guilty of charges for Robbery With A Deadly Weapons While Masked and Possession Of A Firearm or Ammunition By A Convicted Felon While Masked.

Wigfals was arrested by Fort Myers Police Department for the crime in 2017 in Dunbar, where he was accused of entering a Family Dollar store during closing. Wigfals held the store manager at gunpoint and demanded they open the store safe.

One of the store employees was on the phone with her daughter while the robbery unfolded, and she called 911. The daughters’ father responded to the scene and witnessed Wigfals holding up the manager at gunpoint. Wigfals was distracted by the headlights of the father’s truck, and the store manager decided to lunge for the gun but only got a hold on Wigfals’ arm.

The father responding saw the struggle and rushed toward it, tackling Wigfals and also knocking over the manager. The father was able to get the gun out of Wigfals’ hand and detained him.

FMPD arrived and arrested Wigfals.

Wigfals remains in custody at Lee County Jail.