Bio

Joshua Rosa was born on January 24, 1986, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the younger of two children in his family. His older brother, Daniel Rosa, Jr., is five years older than him. Their parents are Raquel and Daniel Rosa, Sr., and the family is of Puerto Rican descent. In the early 1990s, the Rosa family moved to Florida. They hoped this move would give Joshua and his brother an easier life.

Growing up, Joshua’s family was very religious. They were members of the Pentecostal Church and had a strict upbringing. Rosa attended school and worked hard. He graduated from Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida, in 2004. While in high school, he was active in various activities. He was a cadet on the drill team and participated in the Army ROTC program. He also taught fencing at a local academy.

After high school, Joshua enrolled at Hillsborough Community College. He aimed to become a psychologist. At just 18 years old, he took on a leadership role as a Youth Minister at the Zion Pentecostal Church. Joshua was seen as a motivated individual with aspirations for his future.

Murder Story

On December 8, 2005, the body of 13-year-old Stephen Tomlinson was found in a secluded part of Logan Gate Park in Tampa, Florida. Joshua Rosa was seen in the park that night. Witnesses reported seeing him jogging with a flashlight and wearing white gloves. Rosa was also seen running from the park, claiming, "Call the cops! I need help!" Shortly after, a neighbor and some children found Tomlinson's body near his bicycle.

When they arrived, they saw that Tomlinson was bleeding from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. His pants were halfway down. A neighbor tried to perform CPR, but Tomlinson died shortly after. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office came quickly to the scene.

Rosa told deputies that he was jogging and found Tomlinson's body. However, he could not explain why he was wearing gloves or carrying a flashlight. Blood was found on his gloves and jogging pants. Rosa voluntarily gave deputies a nail clipper he had in his pocket but could not explain its presence. He was questioned but released that night, angering many neighbors who suspected him of the murder.

Rosa remained a person of interest. He was monitored closely, and a warrant allowed police to search his home, where they took his computer, clothes, and other evidence. The cause of Tomlinson's death was determined to be manual strangulation.

On January 6, 2006, Joshua Rosa was arrested at work. The sheriff later announced they were waiting on DNA evidence from the nail clippers and gloves, which linked Rosa to Tomlinson. His house keys were found under Tomlinson's body. He was held without bail and charged with first-degree murder. At his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty and wanted time to find a private lawyer.

Rosa's trial began on July 11, 2008. The prosecutors argued that he was the murderer who strangled Tomlinson. They claimed that he used the nail clipper to cut Tomlinson's fingernails after the murder. Blood stains from Tomlinson were found in Rosa's jogging pants. The gloves he wore were shown to have been used to possibly suffocate Tomlinson.

Defense attorney Brian E. Gonzalez argued that Rosa was trying to help Tomlinson and had just been jogging. He suggested there might have been more than one person involved in the crime. Rosa did not testify in his defense.

On July 21, 2008, Rosa was found guilty of first-degree murder during an attempt to commit aggravated child abuse. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty due to insufficient evidence. After the verdict, Rosa claimed his innocence and expressed hope that the real culprit would be found. An appeal was likely after the trial. Rosa is currently serving his sentence at Mayo Correctional Institution and is one of the youngest people in Florida to be sentenced to life without parole.