Florida man witnesses girlfriend’s murder: He was forced to wear her clothes while they cleaned up the scene

Arnaldo Antonio Cintron, 42, is accused of fatally stabbing Hiojaira Mercedes Velez-Bonilla before forcing her boyfriend to help dispose of her body and humiliating him by making him wear the victim’s clothing, according to a Hillsborough County, Florida affidavit.

These details emerged after the witness, who was romantically involved with the victim at the time of her death, walked into the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s District II office on August 15 to report the murder. The boyfriend’s identity has not been disclosed by law enforcement.

Cintron: “I don’t like witnesses”

He told detectives that the killing unfolded during the early morning hours inside Velez-Bonilla’s home on Maybrook Avenue in Riverview, Florida, a Tampa suburb. She lived there with her two teenage sons.

According to the affidavit, an argument broke out between Velez-Bonilla and Cintron over finances and household responsibilities the same day the victim’s boyfriend reported the crime.

During the heated exchange, Cintron allegedly pushed her to the floor, grabbed a kitchen knife, and stabbed her repeatedly while repeatedly shouting, “B—.” The witness entered the kitchen while the attack was happening and was also threatened.

Cintron reportedly told the victim’s boyfriend, “I don’t like witnesses,” and warned that if he didn’t help cover up the crime, he and the victim’s 16-year-old son would be killed.

The man complied, assisting Cintron and his girlfriend and co-defendant Giselle Marie Santiago Bonilla, 37, in cleaning the bloody crime scene. Santiago Bonilla is the victim’s cousin.

The wig and dress

What followed was a bizarre and disturbing attempt at concealment. After scrubbing the kitchen floor with bleach and wipes, Cintron allegedly ordered the witness to dress in Velez-Bonilla’s clothing.

The defendant himself donned one of her long dresses and a wig. Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s home later captured Cintron disguised in one of her wigs and one of her dresses as the group prepared to move the body.

Investigators say the victim’s remains were placed inside a cardboard box and loaded into her Nissan Rogue, along with a trash bag containing the murder weapon and cleaning supplies.

Under Cintron’s orders, the witness drove the SUV while Cintron sat in the passenger seat, dressed in disguise. Santiago Bonilla followed in her car.

The group eventually drove to Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg, where they dumped the victim’s body in a mangrove area. At one point, Cintron allegedly joked with an accomplice nicknamed “Tarzan,” saying, “You know one eye Willy is in the back,” a reference to the victim’s eye patch from a medical condition.

Afterward, Cintron directed the disposal of additional evidence, including a box of belongings and the bloody cleaning supplies. Detectives later recovered the victim’s body but were unable to retrieve the bag of cleaning materials.

Cintron and Santiago Bonilla’s legal status

Cintron now faces charges of second-degree murder with a weapon, tampering with evidence, tampering with a witness, and unlawfully moving a body.

Prosecutors are seeking to hold him without bond, citing his violent history and prior felony convictions, including DUI with serious injury and fleeing law enforcement.

The case has drawn widespread attention both for its brutality and its disturbing elements of coercion and disguise. Authorities say the witness remains in fear for his life but ultimately chose to come forward to ensure justice for Velez-Bonilla. Cintron is being held in Hillsborough County Jail as the investigation continues. Santiago Bonilla has also been arrested and charged in connection with the murder. A bond of $200,000 has been set for her release.