Joshua Rosa

I have elected to start a blog for Joshua Rosa.

Since there has been so many request for help and request for information about
him, I though it would be good for him to have his own place in the blogging world.

The blog is located http://joshrosa.blogspot.com/

So check it out and let me know what you think.

I am asking anyone with pictures of him to please send them to me so I can use them on that blog. I only have a select few from his court dates and prison mug shot and don't really want to use them on his blog.

We are waiting for Joshua to respond so we can make that an official blog for him
so he will have a way to communicate with his friends and supporters.

Please keep in mind that blog is solely for those that support his innocence and for those that are concerned about him.

Joshua Rosa, the bad penny that keeps turning up…

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.)

Finally the Joshua Rosa Poll is over…

Finally the Joshua Rosa Poll is over…


This poll has come to an end finally. I know, I know, I set the date for it to end and could have ended it at any time I decided too, but I wanted to leave it on line just in case one supporter could actually come up with something somewhat informative as to why they thought Rosa was innocent.

However, this mission failed miserably.

As you can see there were a total of 399 votes on this poll.

And as we can see from the poll, the majority of people think he is guilty of the crimes he was charged with, some may not agree with life in prison, but over all the majority agrees with his guilty conviction.

Now sadly over the time this poll was active I had been asking people that were voting innocent, to please leave comments as to why they thought he was innocent.

By the way, even though there were 170 votes for innocent, one person voted at least 30 times according to the log of people that voted.

With asking for comments to support his innocence it seems the most that left any comment was grasping at straws to come up with something to say to try to make one believe Rosa was actually innocent.

To review some of the comments

Rosa was a nice guy.

I assume people were trying to say since he was so nice he could not be capable of committing such a horrible crime. I guess I will never know since none of his supporters left any other comments to back up what they were saying

Even with the nice guy comments, we have to remember that Rosa’s own friends have posted on line that just before the murder that he had a major attitude change, so maybe he was not the nice guy that some bloggers believe.

There was a couple (and yes I mean only 2) comments that actually made any sense at all.

But even with the sensible comments, no one could (or did) attempt to explain the DNA evidence. No one could provide anything that proves that Rosa was innocent and they arrested the wrong guy. No one could explain away the forensic evidence either.

We did get to read some comments that said since Rosa did not have defensive marks on him, he had to be innocent and that the DNA evidence was wrong.
WOW, talking about grasping at straws. Granted there could always be errors in evidence collection, but to doubt actual DNA testing this day and age is just ridiculous.

To say the investigators made errors in their investigations of this case, I can only respond by saying this. After all of my years working the street as a cop and investigating cases, I never once arrested one single person that there was any doubt about the guilt of the suspect. I personally knew beyond any reasonable doubt that the suspect was guilty.

So to say that the investigator with the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office was in error making this arrest I find also ridiculous.

Of course this day and age we as humans need to find someone to blame for everything. So in this case people have attempted to blame the investigators, blame the courts, blame the defense. Seems the few supports of Rosa have tried to blame everyone except Rosa.

Wonder if any supporter has actually asked Rosa if he was actually guilty of this crime?

I have written a couple of letters to Rosa and told him of my blog and asked if he wanted to say anything to anyone blogging about this case and I have not heard anything from him.

So I guess with the end of the poll, it will bring the end of the discussion of Rosa on this blog unless he actually does appeal his case or something new happens with him.

Joshua Rosa has a new look

Joshua Rosa

Joshua Rosa has a new look. As of August 5, 2008 Joshua Rosa has been transferred from the Hillsborough County Jail to the State Prison system.

Since the time I have been blogging about this case I have asked for anyone to present evidence that Joshua Rosa was innocent.

Not one single supporter has left any comment in support of Joshua Rosa.

Well there was one from someone named Bobby and this poster seemed to be concerned about the fact that a child molester was laughing since Rosa was in prison and he was still free raping and killing children.

The only problem is there have been no other deaths reported since Rosa was arrested; none of the child molesters in the area have been arrested for murder or even molesting children. Not saying it’s not happening, but nothing has been reported if it is.

But overall not one single person has said anything in the defense of Rosa. I missed the defense portion of the trial and wanted to know if I had missed something or why there was such an out cry in this case that the wrong man was arrested.

The poll I placed on the blog has collected a total of 220 votes so far. Let’s look at what they say.

100% guilty------------------------105 voted
Guilty but should get not life---11
100% innocent--------------------75
Involved but did not murder----29

I don’t understand with 75 votes for totally innocent that one person could not explain why they think he is innocent.

Overall to majority has spoken in the poll and majority feel he is guilty.

From reading different blogs and comments everywhere else I keep reading the same thing over and over.

Joshua Rosa is not guilty because he is a nice guy. He went to church and was active in the church and he cannot be guilty because of that.

It has also been interesting to read the comments from his own friends that said they thought Rosa had changed a lot when he started taking boxing. His attitude changed and his demeanor changed.

I guess we will have to wait and see if Joshua Rosa does appeal his case and wait for the outcome of the appeal to see if there is more to this case or not.

Joshua Rosa according to the State web site

Joshua Rosa

Joshua Rosa


Shortly after posting the poll on Joshua Rosa, I asked for people to leave me some comments as to why they thought he was innocent.

There have been several votes as you can see but no one has taken the time to post why they think he is innocent.

I did get a few emails that just said he was a nice guy basically and no one went into any detail as to why they thought he was innocent.

Is there something that I missed in the trial?

I know the defense was in the paper stating the wrong person had been arrested and since I never got to see the defense part of the trial I wanted to know why so many have decided that he was innocent.

So True Crime Cases has been doing some foot work in an attempt to get more information on this case.

We are waiting on some responses and then will probably do another post if we do in fact get other information to post.

Anyway, if you would like to send comments you can email me or leave them posted on the blog.

Thanks for reading

The Poll on the conviction of Joshua Rosa

I forgot to ask those voting for innocent, to please leave me a comment and let me know why.

I would just like to get an understanding from everyone as to why they think he is innocent.

Then I will probably do a post on the responses I get.

This should be informative.

Thanks for your help and let me know what you think.

Joshua Rosa Poll

Joshua Rosa

From youth pastor to convicted murderer within a matter of a few minutes while the jury chairperson read the verdict of guilty.

This case has sparked a lot of interest in the community and has drawn internet traffic from all over the world.

Normally I post and move on to something else now and try to not get to involved in cases as I did in the Kocis case in PA.

With the different comments and emails, I decided to post a poll to see what the majority of people think about the outcome of this case.

So please take a minute and vote.

Seems even after conviction, Rosa still has a lot of supporters fighting for his innocence.

They definitely are going to have a long hard road ahead of them considering Florida only has about a 5 to 7% rate of a different verdict from appeals.

Some still believe Joshua Rosa is innocent. Some believe his conviction was unfair and some believe there is no way Joshua Rosa could go from a kind, caring, loving youth minister to a convicted murderer.

Even with the support, some of his friends have posted on line that once Joshua Rosa started boxing, he changed and he changed for the worse.

Take a minute and vote and let’s see what most everyone thinks.

Joshua Rosa (X) youth minister, now convicted murderer.

Joshua Rosa, the (X) youth minister, was convicted today of first degree murder.

Jurors found Joshua Rosa, 22, guilty of first-degree murder as charged "and the killing was committed during the commission of or in the attempt to commit aggravated child abuse."

The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Tomlinson's father said Rosa destroyed his life.

"Your honor, I'm so glad this is over," said Ron Tomlinson. "I can move on. I want him to know he took something from me I'll never get back again. My grandkids, I'll never see my grandkids. I'll never see my son drive a car. I'll never see my son's wife. None of that. My life is destroyed. I want him to know that's what he did to me."

Mr. Tomlinson had a brilliant thought and told Rosa that there should be a picture of his dead son in his cell so everyday he was reminded of what he had done and what he had taken away from his family.

The press asked Mr. Tomlinson after the trial if he could say anything else to Rosa what would it be?

Tomlinson simply stated “burn in hell”

Jurors delivered the verdict to the court this morning.


Here is a run down of the events that happened in this case.


December 8, 2005.
The body of 13-year-old Stephen Tomlinson was found in Logan Gate Park.

The police then reported that a group of teenage boys discovered the body in the woods behind the park. The boy was partially clothed and lying next to his bicycle.

Apparently Joshua Rosa was there and went out of the woods to report a dead body and later he tried to run and was held there by Tomlinson’s uncle until police arrived.
The police questioned Joshua Rosa that night and did not arrest him at that time.

Investigators said Tomlinson suffered trauma to the upper body.

December 12, 2005

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said he is confident his investigators will solve the case. The medical examiner has ruled the cause of death was manual strangulation.

Gee then said investigators are still waiting on forensics test results and tips from the public before making an arrest.

Stephen's father, Ron Tomlinson, also encouraged anyone with information to come forward.


"Anybody that's got any information, I beg you, please come forward so we can get this thing over with and done, so I can get some closure and put it behind me, and my family," said Tomlinson.

January 7, 2006

A suspect has been arrested in the murder of 13-year-old Stephen Tomlinson in December.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said Joshua Rosa, 19, has been charged with Tomlinson's murder

Gee said that late Friday afternoon the sheriff's office received a report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement indicating that Tomlinson's DNA was found on nail clippers belonging to Rosa and blood on gloves belonging to Rosa was Tomlinson's blood.

Gee also said that Rosa's statements to detectives were inconsistent.

"The only consistent thing about his statements was their inconsistency," Gee said.

Gee said the sheriff's office does not have a motive for the murder, but Tomlinson's clothing was in disarray when he was found.

The sheriff has kept Rosa under surveillance since the murder. He is being held without bond.

February 6, 2006

Joshua Rosa, accused of killing 13-year-old Stephen Tomlinson entered a not-guilty plea Monday in Hillsborough County court.

Rosa told police he lost the keys while jogging, but later told police he found Tomlinson's body and tried to revive him.

July 14, 2008

The trial of a former youth minister accused of the murder of teenage boy begins today in Hillsborough County.
Rosa, a 19-year-old youth minister who worked at the nearby Zion Pentecostal Church at the time of the murder, became a prime suspect once police began questioning witnesses.
They told investigators they saw Rosa, at the park about the time of Tomlinson's death.
Tomlinson's body was found December 8, 2005 in the woods behind the park. His partially clothed body was lying next to his bicycle. He was 13.
Jury selection began today.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Opening statements began Tuesday in the Stephen Tomlinson murder case.
Jurors will have to decide whether 22-year-old Joshua Rosa is guilty of killing Tomlinson, who was 13-years-old when he was found strangled to death.
Rosa's attorney said the wrong person is on trial.
Prosecutors say DNA on Tomlinson matched Rosa's DNA. Rosa's attorney says he was just trying to help the victim at the crime scene.

Monday, July 21, 2008

A man accused of killing 13-year-old Stephen Tomlinson has been found guilty. Joshua Rosa was convicted of first degree murder.
The prosecution did not pursue the death penalty in this case and the reasons they did not are unclear.




The Sheriff made this statement, some time ago, that they had no motive for this murder, but told the community to draw their own conclusions since Tomlinson clothing was in disarray.

The media interviewed Tomlinson’s brother. He said he knew the defendant and had played video games with him before and thought he was a good guy since he was the youth minister at the church his brother attended. He went on to say that there was an overwhelming amount of evidence against Rosa and he believes the motive for this case was Rosa attempted to rape his brother and his brother fought back.

A lot of the evidence was never heard in court. The recordings of statements and all of the inconsistent statements Rosa made was never heard in court. One reporter said the first time the jury heard Rosa’s voice was after the conviction and Rosa was allowed to make a statement.

Rosa did say in his statement that he knew things looked suspicious against him but he was not the perpetrator in this case.

Rosa went on to say he only hopes the person or people responsible for this death are caught.

I know this is a touchy subject and the majority of time defendants never take the stand in their own defense, but I think if I was facing life in prison without parole and was honestly innocent, I would be on the stand fighting for my innocence. Rosa only elected to make a statement post conviction to proclaim his is innocent in the murder of Stephen Tomlinson.