Former Polk County sheriff's deputy Joshua Roelofs is set to learn his fate today in a Hillsborough County courtroom, nearly four years after an early-morning crash on the Courtney Campbell Causeway that killed two people and left two others with life-altering injuries. Roelofs was convicted in February of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the 2022 wreck, then drew even more scrutiny when he skipped a 2025 court date, fled to Colombia and was eventually captured and brought back to Florida.
Guilty verdict and evidence
In early February, a Tampa jury found Roelofs guilty on multiple counts, including two counts each of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide, after prosecutors walked jurors through dashcam footage and a detailed reconstruction of his night out. The state argued that his sports car was traveling at more than 100 mph in the moments before it rear-ended an SUV, and used bar and restaurant receipts along with witness testimony to chart his movements and drinking beforehand. As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, jurors returned their verdict after hearing that sequence of evidence.
Crash and victims
The collision happened in the early hours of April 13, 2022, on the Courtney Campbell Causeway, when Roelofs' Nissan reportedly slammed into a Kia that then rolled and ejected all four people inside. Two men, Kris Koroly and Ricky Gongora, died at the scene. The two surviving passengers were left with serious, ongoing injuries that were described in stark detail during the trial. Local coverage and court testimony have laid out the crash scene and the dashcam footage that prosecutors relied on, according to WFTS/Tampa Bay 28.
Flight and capture
The case took a dramatic turn in 2025, when Roelofs failed to appear for a scheduled hearing and was declared a fugitive. He was later tracked to a hotel in Antioquia, Colombia, where Colombian authorities took him into custody and escorted him back to the United States to face the charges he had left behind. Tampa police and the U.S. Marshals Task Force credited international cooperation for the arrest, and prosecutors pointed to his flight as evidence of a consciousness of guilt. Since his return, Roelofs has been held without bond, according to FOX 13.
Sentencing and legal exposure
With sentencing set for Monday, prosecutors are expected to push for a substantial prison term, citing the two deaths, the severe and lasting injuries to the survivors and Roelofs' failure to appear for court. Defense attorneys have asked the judge for leniency. The Tampa Bay Times has calculated Roelofs' score under Florida's sentencing guidelines at roughly 32 years, even though the statutory maximum across his multiple counts could be significantly higher. Local coverage and a 10 Tampa Bay video clip collected by Spot On Florida have highlighted the upcoming hearing and the broader context of the state's case.
Legal note
Under Florida law, a DUI manslaughter conviction carries a mandatory minimum prison term of four years, after which judges apply the state's Criminal Punishment Code to determine a specific sentence within the statutory limits. The statute detailing DUI penalties is available in Florida Statute 316.193, and prosecutors are expected to outline where they believe Roelofs' sentence should fall when they address the court on Monday.
