On Wednesday, the jury found Dylan Fogle guilty on all counts stemming from the August 2024 crash, including murder, attempted murder and vehicular homicide.
TAMPA, Fla. — On Wednesday, the jury delivered a verdict in the trial of a man accused of driving the cab of a semi-truck into a Tampa strip club’s loading dock, killing one person and injuring two more.
Dylan Fogle, 27, was charged with murder, attempted murder, vehicular homicide and DUI-related charges for allegedly crashing into the Emperors Gentleman Club in August 2024. The jury found Fogle guilty on all counts, and he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison stemming from the murder charge.
Giovanni Soto, 44, was killed and two others suffered serious injuries when Fogle allegedly drove a semi truck into a crowd outside the loading dock of the club. He and his friend Anthony Matelsky had been kicked out of the club for “inappropriate” conduct with a dancer, according to the police report.
The question in the trial was not whether Fogle did it — but whether he intended to kill. The defense said he didn’t, but was rather trying to help Matelsky who got into an altercation with bouncers when he was thrown out of the club. The defense also argued that Fogle was too intoxicated to know what he was doing at the time.
On the second day of his trial, witnesses testified about the moments leading up to and after the crash.
Multiple detectives and police officers testified about Fogle’s state of intoxication, saying he had a BAC more than twice the legal limit at the time.
“He was basically slumped over, not responsive,” Tampa Police officer Gregory Landry said. “As soon as I opened the back door of the police car, a real strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was coming from that compartment.”
Angelise Ortiz, Fogle’s childhood friend, who was his girlfriend at the time, also testified Wednesday about a text conversation she had with Fogle shortly before the crash.
Fogle wrote, “Goodbye, I’m going to prison for vehicular manslaughter” — moments before he drove into the crowd.
“I was scared that he was going to do something to harm himself, so I was going to do a welfare check,” Ortiz said.
Both sides gave their closing statements, and the jury began deliberating Wednesday evening prior to delivering the verdict.