Background: The house in Riverview, Fla., the place Hiojaira Mercedes Velez-Bonilla was allegedly murdered (WTVT). Insets (left to proper): Andre Gerhardt and Giselle Santiago-Bonilla (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Division).
A 3rd suspect has been arrested in reference to the 2025 homicide of a Florida lady, days after one other suspect entered a plea.
Giselle Santiago-Bonilla, 38, pleaded responsible in February to accent after the very fact, tampering with a witness, tampering with proof, and unlawfully shifting a lifeless physique, all prices in reference to the stabbing loss of life of her cousin, 41-year-old Hiojaira Mercedes Velez-Bonilla. As Regulation&Crime beforehand reported, Velez-Bonilla was allegedly stabbed to loss of life by Santiago-Bonilla’s boyfriend, 43-year-old Arnaldo Cintron, after an argument over payments and family chores.
Police stated Velez-Bonilla’s boyfriend, 30-year-old Elga Davis II, tried to run, however Santiago-Bonilla blocked him from leaving. After Velez-Bonilla was lifeless, the opposite couple allegedly pressured Davis to placed on her wig and put on her gown whereas he disposed of her physique.
On Feb. 26, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Workplace introduced that a 3rd suspect, 33-year-old Andre Gerhardt, was arrested in reference to the case. In court docket paperwork reviewed by Regulation&Crime, Gerhardt was beforehand recognized solely as “Tarzan,” the person who allegedly helped Cintron and Santiago-Bonilla work out easy methods to eliminate Velez-Bonilla’s physique. Gerhardt was charged with unlawfully shifting a lifeless physique, carrying a hid weapon as a felon, accent after the very fact, and housebreaking.
In accordance with Regulation&Crime’s earlier protection, Davis testified at a pretrial detention listening to for Cintron, who has been charged with first-degree homicide, unlawfully shifting a lifeless physique, tampering with proof and tampering with a witness. Davis advised the court docket on the time that Cintron and Santiago-Bonilla stated until he helped them clear up the scene, he “was subsequent.”
After the three of them spent round 4 hours cleansing up the scene, Velez-Bonilla’s physique was stuffed right into a cardboard field that was wrapped in black mesh. Davis testified that he “simply did as [he] was advised” when he pressured his girlfriend’s physique to suit into the field.
Fearing for his life, he then complied with the demand by Cintron and Santiago-Bonilla to put on one in every of his lifeless girlfriend’s wigs and one in every of her lengthy clothes whereas he drove all of them and the physique to the condo of a person generally known as “Tarzan.”
Earlier than formalizing her plea deal, Santiago-Bonilla recognized Gerhardt as “Tarzan” and confirmed that he assisted in disposing of Velez-Bonilla’s physique, based on court docket paperwork. Gerhardt advised police after he was arrested on Feb. 24 that he assisted in serving to Cintron, Santiago-Bonilla, and Davis take away the field containing the physique from the automotive and drag it out into the mangroves. Police stated he knew what was contained in the field, and he admitted that he by no means contacted regulation enforcement.
Cintron stays in custody on the Falkenburg Street Jail. His subsequent court docket look is scheduled for Could 18, the identical day Gerhardt is scheduled to seem in court docket.
Santiago-Bonilla is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29.
