Joshua Rosa, the bad penny that keeps turning up…
Well where to start with this post. As many can tell, I had mixed feelings about the Rosa case since I first learned of it. Believe it or not the first I heard of the case was when Rosa was in the newspaper stating they have arrested the wrong man just as he trial was set to start. Now sadly for Rosa, that seemed to be his only defense. He claims he only stopped to provide aid and then was convicted of murder.
Some bloggers tried to defend the fact that Stephen Tomlinson pants where down. They claimed it was so Rosa could provide first aid.
I’m not sure what class he took that told him to remove pants in order to help some one not breathing, I have never heard of that and I’m a paramedic working the streets everyday and still have no clue as to why that would have happened.
Of course some have tried to defend every action that took place in this case.
Anyway…
Rosa has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
I posted a blog stating the case was over. I was done blogging about this case and the poll was finally over and I would move on to other cases since there is still no record of an appeal there was not a lot more to talk about with the Joshua Rosa case.
On a side note, with no appeal one has to wonder
1) Did Joshua Rosa finally admit to killing Tomlinson?
2) Is this a money matter? Did he run out of money for a proper appeal?
3) Did Rosa get the forgiveness he wanted and now has to stay in prison to preach the gospel to other inmates as punishment for his sins?
One has to wonder what did happen to Joshua Rosa.
Since he was convicted there has not been a lot of information posted about Rosa or what’s going on with his case.
I have also posted many times in post and comments that I thought he was guilty and the evidence proved to a jury beyond any reasonable doubt that Rosa was guilty and therefore convicted.
At the same time though, I have also been willing to listen to anything that would prove otherwise. Sadly the most I heard was he cannot be guilty because he is such a nice guy.
People have tried to discredit law enforcement to no avail. People have tried to discredit forensic evidence to no avail. People have tried to discredit the medical examiner also to no avail.
So why do so many people still believe Joshua Rosa is innocent????
That's the million dollar question.
As much as I hate to hear some of the same stupid comments as before, I would really like to know why.
If you can post a sensible response, please feel free to blog your heart out and give me facts and details, not opinions and feeble attempts to discredit the criminal justice system.
Even though I have posted I was done with this case, for some reason now I have people I have never heard of before emailing me and asking me to help Rosa. There have been about 20 emails to date asking that I help Rosa.
Someone wants a billboard put up to find the real killer,
Someone wants a defense fund started so he can fund his appeal
(Which by the way he had 30 days to file),
Someone wanted private investigators hired to find the real killer or killers as they said
Someone wanted web sites started for Rosa
Someone thought just a blog would work to get him the justice he deserves.
I’m more confused now than ever before. Even though I have mixed feelings about this case and I have taken a pretty strong stance in this case and said many times I think he is guilty and yet people are asking me help Rosa.
I'm not sure what people expect me to do or why all of the sudden I'm getting all these emails asking that I help Rosa.
With every email, I responded to them and told them to ask Rosa if he was guilty and why there hasn't been an appeal filed.
Most said they would ask him. This is not an attempt to harass Rosa. It is an attempt to find out if he actually has taken responsibility for the murder.
I did offer to help him in the beginning of this case and he refused. I don’t know what people expect me to do. A lot of people from the very beginning have wanted to use me to communicate with Rosa. I guess since I have blogged about this case a lot people think I have a connection with him.
Folks, I don’t know Rosa, never spoke to him, have never seen him (other than on TV in court) and I never heard his name until he was getting ready to go to court and his picture was posted on the front page of the newspaper.
So hopefully that will help explain my confusion at this time. Since I don’t even know Rosa and he refused to talk, how could I help him?
I said after the Harlow and Joe case, I would never get that involved in another case, but this case has been somewhat intriguing and that’s mainly due to the publics’ opinion of his innocence.
So what have I done to help you ask, here is a few things that I offered to do to help Rosa from the very start of this case.
I did write to Rosa and told him about the blog. I told him of the national attention drawn to his case and asked if he had anything at all to say to the bloggers trying to defend him. There was no response.
I offered him my blog to use to communicate with people blogging about this case and as a route to help him raise the funds he needed for an appeal and once again he refused.
I offered to listen to anything he had to say to prove he was innocent and to help with any information that was discovered to prove someone else was guilty and once again he refused.
Maybe he refused because of the stance I have taken with this case. I’m not sure. I don’t know what to think and still I think back to the trial. If I were truly innocent I would have been fighting for my life (literally) in court. I would have been on the stand trying to defend the many different version of this story he told, I would have been on the stand to ensure people knew I was innocent and the only thing we heard from Rosa was after he was convicted saying he would pray for those that wronged him in this case.
I’m just not sure what to think about this case at this time and really not sure why so many have elected to email me asking for help.
I have offered to help a couple people in their personal quest to finally get the answers they need for closure on this case.
So once again, if you have anything useful to say or can say something that will actually prove Rosa is innocent, I want to hear it.
Not sure I want to go down this path again, but we will see how it goes. If it gets out of hand, I will delete this post and once and for all stop blogging about convicted murderer Joshua Rosa. (Until it is otherwise proven he is innocent.)
11 comments:
Now with claiming there has been no appeal filed, let me share with you what I found on the clerk of the court web site.
08-21-08 : THIS APPEAL HAS BEEN FILED WITHOUT A FILING FEE REQUIRED BY SECTION 35.22(3), FLORIDA STATUES (2005). THE ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT SHALL FORWARD THE REQUIRED $300.00 FILING FEE OR, IF APPLICABLE, AN ORDER FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT, OR A CERTIFICATE OF INDIGENCY FORM THE CIRCUIT COURT CLERK, FINDING APPELLANT INSOLVENT TO THIS COURT WITHIN TWENTY DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS ORDER. IF THIS COURT DOES NOT RECEIVE ANY OF THE ABOVE WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME, THIS APPEAL MAY BE SUBJECT TO DISMISSAL WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE AND APPELLANT'S COUNSEL MAY RISK SANCTIONS IF THIS DIRECTIVE IS IGNORED. 2D08-4061.
The only other activity in his file at the clerks office is notice for extension of time for the court reporters to file the offical transcripts.
I was not able to watch the entire trial, but I did see where the defense stated that the blood got on the gloves when Rosa found Stephen Tomlinson and tried to help him which is a plausible explanation. The DNA under Tomlinson's fingernails was not a match to Rosa's but Rosa could not be excluded. I wonder how many others in that same neighborhood could not be excluded?
I would like to see a transcript of the trial, but cannot find any information on that. I have so many questions. E.g., did Rosa say he found his keys and then dropped them when he stopped to render aid to Stephen Tomlinson? Did Rosa say he pulled down his pants? Was Tomlinson still alive when paramedics and police arrived?
When Rosa saw the car and the people in the area why didn't he hide and/or go home another way? I find it strange, and rather stupid, that he didn't. Maybe he didn't see them until the last second.
I'm not saying he is guilty or innocent. Like I stated, I didn't see the entire trial and so I have more questions than answers. If he had nothing to hide, I want to know why he didn't take the stand?
I'm surprised that his family and/or his church hasn't raised the money for the appeal.
When you say Rosa has "refused" your offers, do you mean to say that he has simply never responded to him or have you had communications with him?
I can't seem to type tonight. That should read "responded to them (i.e., your requests) and not "responded to him."
LondonBlueHue
Thanks for the comment.
First according to the clerks web site the court reporter has filed for an extension of time for filing the official transcripts in this case. I think it may actually be December or January now. There were 2 different requests filed and both were for time extensions.
Refused help. I have been told by some one that has been in communication with Rosa that he has received my letters, but he has refused to respond to them. Why I don’t know. They would never say. Of course the person emailing me this information I don’t even know who they are so I cannot confirm that information.
To answer some of your questions
Did Rosa say he found his keys and then dropped them when he stopped to render aid to Stephen Tomlinson? No, they just happened to be under him.
Did Rosa say he pulled down his pants? No.
Was Tomlinson still alive when paramedics and police arrived? No, he was in asystole when medics/police arrived.
When Rosa saw the car and the people in the area why didn't he hide and/or go home another way? Good question.
If he had nothing to hide, I want to know why he didn't take the stand. Another good question. I really want to know the answer to this one as well. I have said from the start of this if I were actually innocent, I would have been on the stand to make sure everyone knew I was innocent. But with defense attorneys its no telling why he did not take the stand.
Hope that helps some.
There are a few minor corrections to some of the blogs. Motion for New Trial was denied on 8.11.08, Notice of Appeal was filed by Rosa's attorney on 8.13.08 which was denied once again. Again on 3.12.09 an appeal was prepared for court, there are no more minutes or information on docket since 3.30.09. When looking in the documents from clerk of courts always look at all the tabs to get the full and most updated information, especially under "docket & Minutes" tabs.
Diana,
Thanks for your comments.
I have not done any follow up on Joshua Rosa for some time now.
I have been emailing his parents from time to time, but not actually following up on his case.
Thank you for the information on the court site, clicking on docket & minutes.
AKA The Jakester
I believe that there are too many unanswered questions about the other boys that were there drugging it up in the park that night. They said they saw Joshua. I need to know that their DNA and prints were ruled out. In this country this is reasonable doubt. So until these questions are answered Joshua needs to remain free and investigate the other boys (#? unsure)
Olivia,
Just wanted to say thanks for your comment.
Sadly, we will probably never know if any other DNA was tested in this case.
Joshua needs to remain free???? A little late for a statement like that since he has been sentenced to life without parole.
For Joshua Rosa I think he will always remain a convicted murderer. I think the jury listened to the evidence and decided beyond any reasonable doubt that he is guilty. I honestly don’t even see an appeal taking place in this case.
He has appealed his case but the last time I looked there was still no ruling on whether or not the case would be heard by the Court of Appeals.
Anyway, thanks again for your comment…
AKA The Jakester
There were too many holes in this case back in 2008. He should have definitely taken the stand in his defense. He should have hide from the car and the people out in that park. I just don't get it. He made his own self look suspicious by at least lying.
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