The murder of Steven Tomlinson
Joshua Rosa Goes to trial for murder July 14, 2008
The trial of 21-year-old youth minister, Joshua Rosa, has started with jury selection Monday, July 14.
Stephen Tomlinson was strangled to death more than two years and his partially clothed body was lying next to his bicycle. He was 13.
On Dec. 8, 2005, Tomlinson was found dead in the woods of Logan Gate Park. A month later, deputies arrested Rosa, saying genetic testing had linked him to Tomlinson. DNA was found on the nail clippers and on a bloody pair of gloves Rosa was seen wearing.
Rosa, who was 19 at the time, has maintained that he happened upon the body and had nothing to do with the killing.
A witness, Juan Rivera, said he and some friends went into the woods that night to smoke marijuana. Rosa, who they all knew, was running from the woods wearing gloves and carrying a flashlight, Rivera said. He told them he had found a body.
As fire-rescue officials and deputies arrived, Rivera said, Rosa tried to leave. Rivera and his friends prevented that. Rosa told them he had nothing to do with Tomlinson's death but Rivera said he didn't believe him.
Two deputies arrived at the park and found the growing crowd yelling at Rosa. Rosa asked Deputy Ed Perez to get him away from the crowd.
"You need to put me somewhere," Perez said, quoting Rosa. "They're going to hurt me. They think I did this."
Perez said he asked another deputy to pull up in his patrol car. Perez asked Rosa whether he had anything in his pockets. Rosa pulled out a wallet, a pair of gloves and the nail clippers.
Tomlinson's DNA was on the nail clippers, and blood found on the gloves.
The prosecution says he committed the murder. The defense says the DNA was there because Rosa tried to help Tomlinson.
Read full resources....
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/20/me-suspect-in-park-slaying-argues-his-dna-was-take/
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6975816&version=8&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1
http://theapostolicreport.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/father-sues-pentecostal-church-over-sons-murder/
UPDATE
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07/21/08
GUILTY!
Joshua Rosa was found Guilty of of first-degree murder in the strangulation death of Stephen Tomlinson, this morning, shortly after 11::00 am ET.
Sentencing was given after family impact statements. Rosa was sentenced to Life without parole.
A confident looking Rosa lowered his head and was visibly shaking after the verdict was read. Family was audibly sobbing in the background. Rosa's father collapsed after the verdict. (NLH)
More reading...
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/21/jury-returns-guilty-verdict-citrus-park-boys-slayi/
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7027569&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=896b0297-1607-46f8-9488-7125c30b0f3a
07/19/08
Case goes to the jury
Joshua Rosa's fate in the hands of the jury
A jury of four men and eight women will decide if Joshua Rosa committed first-degree murder on Stephen Tomlinson.
Closing arguments were given Friday and the case handed to the jury around 4:30 pm. Deliberations lasted for about 3 hours when they decided to continue on Monday morning.
The prosecution and defense agreed that Rosa was at the scene of a homicide in the darkened woods near a Logan Gate Village park on Dec. 8, 2005. Scientific evidence showed the victim's blood on Rosa's gloves, shoes and clothes. The disagreement was when that blood got there.
Defense attorney Brian Gonzalez argued that his client, a Hillsborough Community College student and part-time employee of a sports apparel store, is guilty only of trying to help the stricken 13-year-old boy.
"His involvement has not helped his case," Gonzalez said.
Gloves Used In Closing Argument
Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner told the jury that all the evidence, though circumstantial, made a clear case of guilt.
The veteran prosecutor donned the gloves he says were worn by Rosa when he strangled the teenager and demonstrated how the boy was throttled. Pruner left the bloody and soiled gloves on for much of the rest of his closing argument.
A motive was unclear, but Pruner said there was testimony that Rosa was looking for Stephen throughout that day.
Read resource details...
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/19/me-jury-breaks-without-verdict-in-rosa-trial/
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/article706361.ece
http://trialbuzz.blogspot.com/2008/07/718-24-stephen-injuries-show-that-that.html
07/18/08
The Prosecution Rests
Joshua Rosa Update
The prosecution rested their case after the prosecution called a blood stain analyst to testify. He testified that blood found on a pair of Rosa's white gloves was consistent with someone holding a hand over Stephen's mouth while Stephen's nose was bleeding.
People have wondered why a 2 hour taped statement from Joshua Rosa was not played at the trial that showed many inconsistencies, but speculation is that it may force the defense to put the defendant on the stand.
The assistant pastor of Rosa's church testified that the white gloves that Rosa had were used in both pantomimes and more formal events at the church.
Rosa's mother took the stand saying that Joshua didn't hang out with Stephen much at all, but that she did see them together around 5:30 that night on the porch, which was about an hour and a half before his death.
She testified that he was suppose to be at a Royal Ranger meeting that night, that he was in charge of.
Court adjourned 2 hours early today.
A forensic pathologist is expected to testify for the defense Friday morning refuting prosecution witness testimony.
Resources...
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2008/07/17/casarez.rosa.trial.thurs.cnn?iref=videosearch
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/17/blood-analyst-testifies-prosecution-rests-rosa-tri/
07/17/08
Forensics and DNA
Joshua Rosa's keys found between Tomlinson's legs
According to what Joshua Rosa told police deputies, 2 years ago at the time of Joshua Tomlinson's death, Rosa had lost his keys while jogging in the park that evening.
He came back with a flashlight to search for the keys when he heard Tomlinson gurgle, so he tried to help by puncturing his throat with a key to open an airway.
The problem with this story is that no evidence of any sharp object puncturing his throat.
A forensic pathologist and Assistant Medical Examiner, Dr. Leszek Chrostowski, said that Stephen Tomlinson died of strangulation. Stephen’s death likely occurred from more than a single hold, he said.
Tomlinson's blood was found on Rosa's shoes, hands and pants, prosecutors have said. DNA samples on a set of fingernail clippers found on Rosa matched that of Tomlinson.
Tomlinson's blood was also found on the gloves that were taken from the same pocket as the clippers that night.
The injuries left on Tomlinson's body indicated a struggle, but didn't contribute to his death.
Chrostowski said that there was a mark so deep from blunt force in the area of the elastic band from Tomlinson's under-shorts that it left the "picket fence" marks from the band into his skin.
That possibly showed that the jean shorts and black leather belt were still firmly attached to him when he hit the ground, because the elasticity of the shorts did not expand.
Tomlinson's jean shorts were found down around his ankles so the belt had to be unhooked, the pants undone and unzipped.
Joshua Rosa had some defensive wounds, as in slight cuts and scrapes, found on him during the initial investigation.
Rosa's keys were actually found between the legs of the victim near the groin area, not under the body, according to testimony and reports by Jean Cacarez.
Resources...
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/07/tampa----two-ye.html
http://trialbuzz.blogspot.com/2008/07/716-22-blood-stains-on-stephen-pants-in.html
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/16/medical-examiner-testifies-citrus-park-boy-strangl/
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2008/07/16/casarez.rosa.trial.cnn
07/16/08
Uproar in courtroom
Stephen Tomlinson's family disrupts court proceedings
On the first day of the Joshua Rosa's murder trial, one detailed exhibit of the death scene of Stephen Tomlinson was shown to the jury and Stephen's brother, Ronnie Jr., walked toward Joshua Rosa and cursed him.
The bailiff escorted him out of the courtroom with the victims father and uncle immediately rushing out into the hallway. There, the family used threatening language regarding bailiffs and Rosa, deputies said.
Hillsborough County Circuit Judge William Fuente later called the family back into the courtroom and told them that although he understood and appreciated the family's feelings, they needed to control themselves or they could jeopardize the trial.
Stephen Tomlinson was found strangled with his pants down, beaten, bloodied and bruised.
Rosa told detectives in 2005 that he found Tomlinson's body when he returned to an area to find keys he lost while jogging. Detectives said back then that they found Rosa's keys under Tomlinson's body. Further testimony was give that the keys were found between Tomlinson's legs.
Rosa had Tomlinson's blood on his hands, embedded in his knuckles, on his shoes and on his pants.
They removed and examined nail clippers and white gloves that Rosa had in his pocket at the time. DNA samples were found on the clippers that matched the victim. It's thought they were used to remove evidence.
Kevin Whiteley, a witness, and a group of friends were hanging out in a secluded area at the park, so they could smoke marijuana and drink. They were nervous when they first saw a flashlight coming from the woods, as they thought it might be a COP.
Whiteley, said Rosa came out of the woods with a flashlight in hand and said there was a boy in the woods who was either dead or injured.
"I said, "Do you have any idea who it is?,' " Whiteley said. "He said, 'no.' "
Tomlinson and Rosa played video games and hung out together, and had chatted the day the body was found, according to Rosa's attorney, Brian Gonzalez.
Read resource details and other articles...
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/15/prosecution-defense-square-citrus-park-boys-slayin/?news-metro
http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/15/tampa-murder-trial-now-live-on-in-session/