Suspects Force Man to Wear Girlfriend's Dress to Dump Body After Witnessing Murder: Prosecutors

According to the witness, he was at the home that his girlfriend Hiojaira Velez-Bonilla, 41, shared with her two teenage sons and a cousin, Giselle Bonilla (above right), 37, who had recently moved in with her boyfriend, Arnaldo Cintron (above left), 42, according to the Miami Herald.

He claimed a discussion shortly after midnight on Friday about Cintron's lack of assistance in paying bills or helping with chores around the house escalated into a verbal argument, according to a motion for pretrial detention reviewed by Law&Crime. And then, it allegedly turned into violence.

The court document details the interview conducted with the witness, who said that it was Cintron who triggered the violence when he allegedly "pushed the victim to the to the floor of the kitchen, armed himself with a kitchen knife from the counter and began stabbing the victim repeatedly while calling her, 'B---h, b---h, b---h.'"

The witness told police he had been in the living room, but stepped into the kitchen as the attack took place. He alleged that after Velez-Bonilla was stabbed "multiple times in her upper torso area," Cintron turned to him, still brandishing the knife.

As the victim's boyfriend began to back away towards the door in an attempt to leave the home, he claimed that both Bonilla and Cintron blocked him, "cornering him" in the kitchen. He then alleged that Cintron told him, "I don't like witnesses."

He then allegedly threatened the witness, telling him that he was going to "help them clean it up," per the court motion, or he "was next." He further claimed that Cintron threatened to kill not only him, but the victim's 16-year-old son in his bedroom down the hall, and the witness' family, too, if he "talked to anyone" or did not help. He also demanded his phone.

He asserted to investigators that Bonilla was not threatened at any point by Cintron after the death of her cousin, and that she was "a willing participant in the clean up after the murder." He also reportedly said that Bonilla said her cousin was "evil" and deserved what had happened to her.

The boyfriend told police he assisted in placing his girlfriend's body in a cardboard box and loading it into the back of her Nissan Rogue. He was then ordered to help clean the floor with bleach and Clorox wet wipes, per the motion.

It wasn't until some time into this cleanup process, according to the witness, that the victim's 16-year-old came out of his room. He said that the teen asked why they were cleaning the floor and where his mother was. The witness said that Cintron and Bonilla told the boy that she had left to "go be with another man," and that they were cleaning up "a spilled drink."

After the cleanup was finished, which the witness said took approximately 2 to 4 hours, he said that Cintron ordered him to "change into the victim's female clothing," per the court documents. Cintron also purportedly "put on one of the victim's long skirted dresses and long sleeves," as well as "one of the victim's wigs."

The witness then told police he was forced to "throw all the items used to clean up the murder scene into a trash bag," using the partially full kitchen trash bag. He said that the kitchen knife, with a blade 3-5 inches, "was also discarded in the trash bag." He was then instructed to put it into the back of the victim's vehicle next to her body, per the motion.

As they were cleaning up, according to the witness, Cintron kept telling him that he "did this for him" and said that the deceased "was evil, and she deserved this for the way she treated" the witness.

After the cleanup, the witness told police he was ordered to drive his girlfriend's vehicle with Cintron in the passenger seat. Surveillance video from the neighborhood viewed by police purportedly showed the witness wearing a short women's jacket, while Cintron was wearing a dress with long sleeves and a curly wig.

Bonilla followed in her own vehicle, per the court filing, where they first drove to an apartment where Bonilla dropped off her car and got into the backseat of the Rogue. They then drove across the street and picked up a man called "Tarzan," who Cintron had allegedly called to help dispose of the body.

When "Tarzan" got into the vehicle, the witness told police that Cintron said to him, "You know one eye Willy is in the back." The witness said this was in reference to his girlfriend, who wore an eye patch because of a medical condition.

The three of them then began discussion options to dispose of the body, with the witness hearing Bonilla suggest her "teeth be kicked out" and her "hands removed," making it "harder to identify her." After being given various directions to different locations, the witness said he was taken deep into the mangroves in a natural preserve near a dock.

The men then removed the victim from the back of the vehicle still in the cardboard box, per the witness, dragging her through the mangroves and then dumping her. After they'd then left the preserve, Cintron realized the bag of cleaning supplies and the murder weapon had been left by the body and ordered the witness to return so they could retrieve it.

He was then ordered to drive to two different locations to dispose of these items, with a box of items Cintron had allegedly loaded into the vehicle being tossed into another area of dense mangroves, and the witness saying he used a trash compactor on the kitchen trash bag.

Crinton then allegedly told the witness to get rid of the vehicle and "remember their arrangement," which he told police he took to mean "the threats the defendant said to him after murdering the victim." He said that he returned the vehicle to his girlfriend's home, wiping it down, and left the keys inside the house.

He also allegedly ordered him to give him Velez-Bonilla's cell phone, wallet, credit cards, and laptop. He said he was going to wipe the phone. He demanded her debit card PIN so he could access the $30,000 in her checking and savings account, per the motion. According to the witness, Cintron then offered to share some of the money from her account.

After his interview with the police, the witness drove with them to the locations where the items were allegedly discarded, as well as where he said the body was dumped. The report indicates that due to the compacter, nothing was recoverable at that site.

On August 17, warrants were issued for both Cintron and Bonilla, with both suspects arrested the following day.

Cintron has been charged with Murder in the Second Degree with a Weapon, Unlawfully Hold or Move a Dead Human Body in Unapproved Conditions, Tampering With Physical Evidence, and Tampering With a Witness. He is being held without bond.

Bonnilla is charged with Tampering With Physical Evidence, Unlawfully Hold or Move a Dead Human Body in Unapproved Conditions, Tampering With a Witness, and Accessory After the Fact. She has a $20,000 bond. Both are expected to appear in court on Monday.

"This was a brutal act of violence followed by a callous attempt to cover it up," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister in a press release from his office. "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."