Former deputy sentenced in crash that killed two on the Courtney Campbell Causeway
Ex-deputy gets 32 years for deadly DUI crash
A former Polk County deputy learned his fate on Monday after being convicted of killing two people in a deadly DUI crash. FOX 13’s Kylie Jones reports.
TAMPA, Fla - A man who was convicted of killing two people in a crash on the Courtney Campbell Causeway was sentenced to more than three decades in prison on Monday.
Joshua Roelofs, 37, was found guilty of DUI manslaughter last month.
The backstory:
The crash happened in the early morning hours of April 13, 2022.
Tampa police say he rear-ended a Kia Sorrento with four people inside.
READ: Deadly DUI crash suspect on the run two months after no show at trial, family frustrated
The SUV overturned, investigators said, killing two 44-year-old men: Kristopher Koroly and Ricky Gongora.
A 36-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman also suffered critical injuries.
Investigators arrested Roelofs the following month on several charges, including two counts each of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter.
What we know:
Jury selection in his trial was set to begin in April 2025, but Roelofs was a no-show.
The judge issued a warrant for Roelofs' arrest and revoked his bond, saying he would reassess the case once Roelofs was back in custody.
The Tampa Police Department said the U.S. Marshals Task Force provided information on Roelofs' whereabouts to Colombian authorities on Aug. 11. Detectives arrested him at a hotel in Antioquia, Colombia, according to TPD.
Colombian authorities flew him back to Florida to face charges.
Roelofs has been in jail since a judge revoked his bond and he was arrested in Colombia.
Roelofs previously worked for the Polk County Sheriff's Office but wasn't employed there at the time of the crash. The sheriff's office previously said he was a PCSO deputy until 2015, when he was arrested for falsifying his time card.
During his trial last month, prosecutors said Roelofs was drinking in downtown St. Pete with a friend before the crash.
The state said a dash camera in Roelofs' car captured him driving his friend home that night and his friend was heard asking him multiple times if he was okay. Prosecutors said Roelofs was driving more than 100 miles per hour seconds before the crash.
Roelofs' attorney argued that DUI officers at the scene of the crash didn't see signs of impairment, and that Roelofs' estimated blood alcohol level is an assumption.
The defense also argued that the dash camera footage from inside Roelofs' car didn't visually depict what was happening inside his car.
Big picture view:
During Roelofs' sentencing hearing on Monday, a number of his family and friends spoke, including his wife and brother.
They asked the judge to have mercy on Roelofs and to consider his three daughters.
"I firmly believe that Joshua is a person who has made a few mistakes, as we all have done at some point in our lives. I truly believe he has learned from them and has taken them seriously," Roelofs' wife said. "I have seen his genuine remorse and his determination to grow and become an even better husband, father and member of our community. He understands the gravity of this situation and wants nothing more than the opportunity to continue being present for his family, and to move forward in a positive direction."
While the state asked the judge to impose a life sentence, Roelofs' attorney asked the judge for a lesser sentence.
"His actions are not deserving of a life sentence," his attorney said. "That he should not be given the sentence of somebody convicted of first-degree murder. Somebody who would point a gun at somebody and pull the trigger. He made a horrible, horrible decision that night, but he, in no way, intended to kill somebody."
The other side:
Numerous family members and friends of the four victims also spoke during Roelofs' sentencing hearing.
"This entire process has been a nightmare, but the pain from that will always come second to standing up and being the voice of my brother," Gongora's sister, Victoria Negrete wrote in a statement. "My brother deserves to be heard, he deserves to remember, and he deserves for us to be his voice, now that he no longer has this option."
Gongora's father and siblings spoke over Zoom.
"I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I'll never see my big brother again," Ricky's sister, Monica Negrete said. "Ricky was like a glue that held our family together. He was always the person who could relate to everyone without effort."
The family of Koroly also spoke during the sentencing.
The sister and now-caretaker of William Camacho, one of the surviving victims, says his brother only has 25 percent brain function due to his injuries and needs constant care.
The state asked the judge to impose a life sentence.
"He had no intention of bringing closure to the victims or their families," the prosecutor said. ""He did not want this trial to move forward and did not want this case to come to an end."
What's next:
The judge sentenced Roelofs to 32.5 years in prison.
The Source: Information in this article was gathered through court proceedings, an interview with Hillsborough Co. State's Attorney, and FOX 13's Kylie Jones.