Man accused of killing Florida mother put on her clothes and forced boyfriend to help dump body, court documents say
Court filings say the suspect stabbed the victim after she confronted him about not helping around the house and then donned her dress and wig before disposing of her body in a swamp
RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Court documents filed in Hillsborough County allege that a man murdered a 41-year-old mother of two, put on her clothing and wig, and forced her boyfriend to assist in disposing of her body in a local swamp.
Investigators say Arnaldo Cintron, 42, fatally stabbed Hiojaira Velez Bonilla after she confronted him about not paying bills or helping around the house after he moved into her Riverview residence, according to the filings. The documents say Cintron pushed Bonilla to the kitchen floor, grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter and began stabbing her repeatedly while calling her, "Bitch, bitch, bitch." The account is drawn from statements recorded in court documents and investigators' reports.
Court papers say the attack continued after Bonilla's boyfriend, identified in the filings as Elga Davis II, walked into the home. The documents allege that Cintron and a woman described as his girlfriend — who is the victim's cousin and had recently moved into the house with him — prevented Davis from leaving. According to the filings, Cintron told Davis he would "help them clean it up" or that Davis "was next," and forced him to assist in concealing the body.
The filings allege Cintron dressed in Bonilla's clothes and wore her wig while the group transported and dumped the body in a nearby swamp, according to the documents. The victim is described in court records as a mother of two teenage boys. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is identified in the filings as the investigating agency.
The account contained in the court documents provides a timeline from the dispute over household responsibilities to the fatal stabbing and the alleged efforts to conceal the crime. The filings attribute the narrative to witness statements and investigative findings; the allegations have not been proven in court.
Local authorities provided details to prosecutors in support of court action, and the case is being handled through Hillsborough County's legal process. Prosecutors typically rely on such evidence to seek criminal charges and to request investigators' affidavits be admitted in court filings.
Family members and neighbors were not quoted in the court documents included in the filings released to the media. The investigation remains active, and additional information may be released by law enforcement or the county prosecutor as the case proceeds.
The county's criminal-justice system will determine whether the allegations in the court documents result in formal charges and how the evidence will be presented at any subsequent hearings. Authorities ask anyone with information about the incident to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.