Robert Holzaepfel Wiki
Robert Holzaepfel Biography
Who is Robert Holzaepfel ?
The accused drunk driver, according to deputies, took the life of Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Magli, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty Friday in court.
Robert Holzaepfel, 33, showed up at 1:30 p.m. m. at the Pinellas County Justice Center.
Arrested and Charged
Holzaepfel faces multiple charges including first-degree murder, DUI manslaughter, and aggravated flight and evading police officers.
According to the sheriff’s office, on February 17, 2021, crews from the Pinellas County Fire Department found Holzaepfel slumped and unconscious inside his truck. When the window of the truck was smashed, Holzaepfel took off, eventually leading officers on a chase.
In an effort to stop Holzaepfel, Magli parked his squad car in the median near the intersection of East Lake and Forelock roads in Tarpon Springs and took “stop sticks” from his SUV to place on the road.
As he did so, Holzaepfel’s truck “swerved, flipped and very, very violently crashed into Officer Magli and his patrol car,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at the time.
Death
Magli was trapped under the car and died. He was barely 30 years old and left behind his wife and two children. He had been with the sheriff’s office since 2013.
Holzaepfel was not injured, even though his truck overturned, according to deputies. His blood alcohol level was recorded at .230, the sheriff’s office reported. And, Gualtieri previously said that he, too, was driving on a suspended license and that he had been arrested 16 times before.
