FOX 13 Tampa Bay reporter Evan Axelbank says a Tampa case that started with a late-night blowup ended with a judge making it official: Dylan Fogle will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Axelbank describes it as a “fit of rage” that put a semi-truck driver behind bars forever, after prosecutors said he rammed a semi into people standing outside a gentleman’s club in Tampa.
WFLA News Channel 8 reporter Jeff Patterson also frames it as a final answer for a case the jury had already decided. Patterson reports the sentencing happened in Hillsborough County, with the court announcing punishment for multiple charges tied to what he calls an intentional act.
Both reporters make the timeline clear: this wasn’t a long, complicated crime scene spread over days. It was a short stretch of bad decisions, a violent choice, and then a lifetime consequence.
And it ended with a judge’s voice cutting through the noise in a way that didn’t leave much room for debate.
The Night Outside The Club
Axelbank reports the incident happened outside the Emperor’s Gentleman’s Club on Adamo Drive, early in the morning on August 13, 2024, around 4 a.m.
According to Axelbank, the video shown in court placed Fogle behind the wheel of the semi after he had been booted from the club for being inappropriate with a staff member. Axelbank adds that Fogle got into a brief altercation outside before climbing into the truck.
Patterson’s reporting lines up with that sequence. He says jurors were shown “several angles” of the video, and he describes it as horrifying footage of the semi’s cab being driven straight at the group.
Patterson also reports Fogle had been drinking heavily with a friend before it happened. In his telling, that drinking led into the club visit, the ejection, and the return with the truck.
Axelbank reports prosecutors said Fogle was “very drunk,” and that he sent a “bevy of text messages” around that same time, messages the state said showed what he was about to do.
This part matters because it isn’t just about impaired driving. Both Axelbank and Patterson describe the court treating it as something closer to a deliberate attack than a reckless accident.
That distinction is what turns a terrible crash into a first-degree murder conviction.
A Father Killed And Others Injured
Axelbank identifies the man who died as Giovanni Soto, a 44-year-old father. He reports two other people were injured in the impact.
Patterson also confirms that one person was killed and two others were seriously hurt. The way he tells it, the courtroom focus stayed on the fact that the truck didn’t drift, slide, or “get away” from the driver.
In Patterson’s words, it was an intentional act, and he reports the court said Fogle had the intent to kill that night.
Even without graphic details, the picture is grim. A group of people outside a business, a truck used like a weapon, and a man who didn’t go home after that night.
And a family that doesn’t get their father back, no matter what the sentencing sheet says.
The Judge’s Words: “Monstrous” And “You Didn’t Care About Anybody”
Axelbank says the judge found the case “perplexing” in one specific way: Fogle didn’t have much of a criminal history before this.
That detail can feel confusing to the public too, because people want a clean story. They want “bad guy with a long record,” not a person who seemed functional until one night they weren’t.
But Axelbank reports Judge Lyann Goudie didn’t let the lack of a record soften what she saw in the evidence. She told Fogle that people cared about him and that he had cared about others, but then came the line that sums up the court’s view.
According to Axelbank, Judge Goudie told him, “On this particular night… you didn’t care about anybody.” She added that the crime was “monstrous,” saying there was no other way to describe it.
Patterson reports a similar moment from the bench, but with an added nuance. He says Fogle’s family argued he was not a monster, and he reports the judge agreed “to a point.”
Patterson quotes the judge saying she doubted Fogle was a monster on most days, but then drawing a hard line: “Any other day, except for this day. What he did on this day was monstrous.”
That’s the court separating a person’s general reputation from what the law calls the act itself. It’s also a judge reminding everyone that “good deeds” don’t erase a deliberate killing.
If anything, those comments show how badly the court believed he crossed the line that night.
Fogle’s Apology And The Weight Of What He Did
Axelbank reports that before the sentence was finalized, Fogle tearfully admitted what he did was wrong.
Axelbank recounts Fogle telling the court he was deeply sorry, and even saying he wished he could trade places with the victim. The apology, as Axelbank reports it, also extended to the families who have to live with the pain.
Patterson’s reporting matches that tone. He says Fogle cried in court, said he was truly sorry, and repeated that he wished he could change places with the victims while apologizing to their families.
There’s always a complicated public reaction to courtroom apologies. Some people hear them as a last-minute performance. Others hear them as the first time the defendant finally understands the scope of what they did.
My view is this: a courtroom apology can be real and still be late. Remorse doesn’t rewind time, and it doesn’t heal broken bodies or bring back the dead, but it can still be true.
Even so, the court isn’t built to grade emotions. It’s built to judge actions, and the action here – driving a semi into people – left no room for a lighter ending.
Family Testimony And The Victim’s Daughter
Axelbank reports several people testified on Fogle’s behalf, including family members who said he was known for helping people while on the road.
Axelbank also says they told the court he had followed his dream of working on vehicles. That kind of testimony usually has a purpose: it’s meant to remind the judge that the defendant had a life outside the crime.
Patterson adds that Fogle’s family spoke by video call from North Carolina, and they told the court directly that he is not a monster.
But Axelbank also points to the human reality on the other side. He reports that Giovanni Soto’s teenage daughter previously told the court that her father was the backbone of their family.
That’s not a detail that disappears when you talk about legal counts. It’s a reminder that “one victim” on paper can still mean a household knocked off its foundation.
A teen losing her father isn’t an abstract tragedy. It’s birthdays, graduations, random Tuesdays, and every moment you expect your dad to be there and he isn’t.
The Sentence And The Charges That Locked It In
Axelbank reports Fogle was found guilty of first-degree murder several weeks before sentencing, and he explains that conviction carried a mandatory sentence: life behind bars.
Patterson reports the same legal reality in plain terms, saying the court sentenced him on the first-degree murder count to the only sentence allowed under Florida law: life imprisonment.
Axelbank notes Fogle was also found guilty of DUI manslaughter and other charges related to the crash.
Patterson adds that the judge gave the maximum allowable sentences on the remaining charges as well, but allowed them to run concurrently with the life sentence—meaning the practical outcome stays the same. He will spend the rest of his life in prison.
This is where the law gets blunt. Once first-degree murder is on the verdict form, the judge isn’t negotiating for “a long time.” The judge is writing down “life.”
A Case About Rage, Alcohol, And A Choice That Can’t Be Unmade
Axelbank’s reporting keeps circling back to how fast it happened and how long the damage lasts. He calls it a few seconds that will affect many lives for the rest of their lives.
Patterson’s report has the same feeling, even without saying it the same way. When he describes the video, he’s describing a moment that will replay forever for jurors, families, and probably even the defendant himself.
My takeaway is that this case sits at the ugly intersection of drinking, ego, and access to something massive and deadly. A semi-truck isn’t just transportation. In the wrong hands, it’s force on a terrifying scale.
And what makes this harder is the detail Axelbank reports about those text messages prosecutors say Fogle sent – because if the state’s view is right, this wasn’t just “out of control.” It was a decision, made while drunk, but still made.
The judge’s words, as Axelbank and Patterson reported them, weren’t about labeling a person forever. They were about labeling a moment: a two-hour window, a choice, and a monstrous result.
Giovanni Soto’s family now gets to carry that moment into every year that follows, and the court made sure Dylan Fogle carries it too – inside a prison, for life.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
