Florida Trucker Sentenced to Life After Deadly Strip-Club Crash

A Florida truck driver has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury found he intentionally drove his semi-truck into a group of people outside Emperors Gentlemen’s Club in Tampa. Prosecutors said 25-year-old Dylan Fogle had been kicked out of the club earlier in the night for inappropriate behavior. Witnesses and surveillance footage showed that Fogle returned behind the wheel of his company-owned semi, accelerated toward a group standing in the parking lot, and struck multiple people. The crash killed one man, Giovanni Soto, and seriously injured at least two others. Investigators also revealed that Fogle sent a text message before the crash that read, “Goodbye, I’m going to prison for vehicular manslaughter,” bolstering the prosecution’s argument of intent.

During the trial, jurors reviewed phone records, witness testimony, video evidence, and Fogle’s blood-alcohol results, all of which prosecutors said showed a deliberate and intoxicated attack. The jury convicted Fogle of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide/DUI manslaughter, attempted first-degree murder, and DUI with serious bodily injury. Because Florida law mandates a life sentence for first-degree murder, the judge imposed life in prison, bringing closure to a case that authorities described as a rare instance of a commercial vehicle being used as a weapon. Media outlets covering the trial reported that the courtroom emphasized the severity of using a semi-truck to inflict deadly harm.