Killer 'forced man to wear girlfriend's clothes before stabbing her to death'

A man accused of murder allegedly forced another man to wear his girlfriend's clothes before stabbing her to death in a '"brutal act of violence".

Arnaldo Cintron, 42, was arrested on August 18 along with his girlfriend Giselle after his girlfriend's cousin, 42-year-old Hiojaira Velez Bonilla, was found dead in a nature reserve near Tampa, Florida.

According to police, Cintron stabbed her during an argument over bills at a home they had shared together. In a court hearing on Monday, state attorneys argued Cintron should be held in jail until his trial because of the risk he poses to the public through violent behaviour.

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The victim's boyfriend, Elga Davis II, 29, claimed to the court that after bearing witness to the murder at the house, Clintron and his girlfriend forced him to help clean up the crime scene, before making him drive Hiojaira's car to dump her body.

Mr Davis alleged that Cintron wore her wig and clothing during the murder, and at one stage forced him to wear Hiojaira's clothes, reported the Miami Herald.

He said he had heard Cintron and Hiojaira arguing earlier on the evening of the incident, but couldn’t understand what the row was about, as they were talking in Spanish.

Mr Davis told the court on Monday: "I’m sitting there, and the next thing I know I hear somebody getting hit in the throat, and they made that.. ughk sound and then I tried to go run over there and then I see her on the floor." He said Cintron stabbed Hiojaira repeatedly, but that he couldn’t help her because he feared for his own life.

Describing how he was then allegedly asked to move his girlfriend's body, Mr Davis added: "I backed up because I was like, terrified what’s happening, and then he starts talking to me about how bad a person she is.

"I was told to help clean up the blood and then move the body from the garage, or from the kitchen to the garage and eventually from the garage to the back seat of her car."

He said that with Giselle Bonilla's help, they stuffed the victim’s body into a box, and then drove to another flat to pick up a man he knows as "Tarzan." The four then drove to the Weedon Island Preserve to get rid of the body. Mr Davis said he later led detectives to where she was buried.

Arnaldo Cintron, who is being held without bond, is charged with second-degree murder with a weapon, unlawfully holding or move a dead human body in unapproved conditions, tampering with physical evidence, and tampering with a witness

Giselle Bonilla is being held on $200,000 (£150,000) bond on charges of tampering with physical evidence, unlawfully holding or move a dead human body in unapproved conditions, tampering with a witness, and accessory after the fact.

Speaking after the pair were arrested, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said: "This was a brutal act of violence followed by a callous attempt to cover it up. 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."