PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The accused drunk driver deputies said took the life of Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Magli was sentenced to 35 years in prison after entering a guilty plea Friday in court.
Robert Holzaepfel, 33, appeared at 1:30 p.m. at the Pinellas County Justice Center.
Holzaepfel faces multiple charges including first-degree murder, DUI manslaughter and aggravated fleeing and eluding police officers.
According to the sheriff's office, on Feb. 17, 2021, Holzaepfel was found by Pinellas County Fire Department fire crews slumped over and unresponsive inside his truck. When they broke the truck's window, Holzaepfel took off and eventually led deputies on a chase.
In an effort to stop Holzaepfel, Magli parked his cruiser 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, Holzaepfel's truck "spun out, flipped over and very, very violently slammed into Deputy Magli and his cruiser," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at the time.
Magli was pinned under the car and died. He was just 30 years old and left behind his wife and two children. He had been with the sheriff's office since 2013.
Holzaepfel was not hurt, despite the fact his truck had flipped over, according to deputies. His blood alcohol level registered at .230, the sheriff's office reported. And, Gualtieri previously said he was also driving with a suspended license and had been arrested 16 times before.
Previous reporting from 10 Tampa Bay contributed to this report.