Second arrest following fatal shooting in Osceola County, investigators say

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla – A second arrest has been made following a fatal shooting near Kissimmee in November 2023.

Joshua Franceschi, 29, was arrested on a warrant by Kissimmee police Friday after a tip to Crimeline indicated he had arrived at HCA Florida Osceola Hospital under a false name, records show.

This latest arrest in connection with the November 14, 2023 shooting follows that of Christopher Martin Garrett, 31, who was taken into custody in January. Now Franceschi’s arrest warrant sheds new light on the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation into the murder.

The victim is identified in these documents as Joshua Daniel Mitchell, who was pronounced dead shortly before 5 a.m. that day.

According to surveillance footage from nearby businesses as well as statements from Mitchell’s girlfriend, investigators said the victim and his partner visited several bars before arriving at Lungo Café, where they stopped by briefly before driving to the friend’s house and ultimately returning to the store. Parking.

The couple returned to the parking lot with a bottle of whiskey, which the victim then shared with Garrett and Franceschi, investigators said. The girlfriend eventually fell asleep in the passenger seat of Mitchell’s truck, but told investigators that she was woken up by Mitchell, who told her he had been shot, and then collapsed.

In reviewing surveillance video, investigators concluded that at one point Garrett moved around Mitchell “into an advantageous position,” at which point Franceschi allegedly punched Mitchell while Garrett shot him. Garrett and Franceschi then got into an SUV and sped away toward State Road 535, investigators said.

According to the friend, Mitchell knew Franceschi from an incident several weeks earlier in which Mitchell reportedly de-escalated a situation involving Franceschi and a gun, the warrant states. When Franceschi first approached Mitchell on the day of the fatal shooting, the friend also told investigators that the suspect had referenced the earlier incident and asked if Mitchell remembered him.

Franceschi is charged with first-degree murder and assault, according to records. He is being held without bail on the murder charge.

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