Two people were arrested in a homicide investigation after a woman's body was found near the Gandy Bridge.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Arnaldo Cintron, 42, fatally stabbed Hiojaira Velez Bonilla, 42, following an altercation inside a Riverview home on Friday night. Giselle Santiago Bonilla, 37, then helped Cintron dispose of the body near the Weedon Island Preserve off the Gandy Bridge.
Deputies issued a warrant for Cintron and Giselle on Aug. 17, and both were arrested a day later on Parsons Street.
The brutal murder left the community on edge, with one witness reporting the incident to the authorities.
Neighbors told Tampa Bay 28 on Monday that they are worried, saying Hiojaira leaves behind two children.
"Makes you feel pretty angry, cause she's a mother, she has children, and I wouldn't have been able to live if that happened to my wife," said Ronnie Parmer, who lives right next door to where the incident unfolded. "It's pretty tragic."
Cintron was charged with murder in the second degree with a weapon, unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body in unapproved conditions, tampering with physical evidence, and tampering with a witness.
Giselle was charged with tampering with physical evidence, unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body in unapproved conditions, tampering with a witness, and being an accessory after the fact.
Court documents state a witness told authorities that Giselle was the cousin of Hiojaira. Giselle and Cintron were in a romantic relationship for several months and were occasionally staying with Hiojaira at her home in Riverview.
On the morning of the altercation, the witness said Cintron and Hiojaira were arguing over the lack of assistance with the bills and other household responsibilities when Cintron pushed Hiojaira to the ground and began stabbing her with a kitchen knife.
Cintron then allegedly threatened the witness to help them clean this up or he, and Hiojaira's 16-year-old son, who was in the other room, "would be next." According to court documents, Giselle was not threatened by Cintron and was a willing participant in the cleanup after the murder.
The witness helped Cintron, Giselle, and their friend, called "Tarzan," dispose of the body in St. Pete in a nature preserve. Then he took the trash bag containing the evidence of rags, wipes, and towels from the cleanup and disposed of them in a trash compactor at Courtney Cove Apartment Homes in Tampa.
The witness told detectives everything and showed them where everything was left. The witness said he feared for his life and the life of Hiojaira's 16-year-old son and believed that if he didn't comply, they would've killed them both.
"This was a brutal act of violence followed by a callous attempt to cover it up," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "No life should ever be taken in such a senseless manner, and no attempt to conceal a crime will shield those responsible from justice. Our detectives were relentless, ensuring both individuals were held accountable, and they will now face the full weight of the law."
The State Attorney is asking for Cintron to be held in jail without bond while he awaits his trial.
Deputies said this is still an active investigation.
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