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Background: The home in Riverview, Fla., where Hiojaira Mercedes Velez-Bonilla was allegedly murdered (WTVT). Insets (left to right): Andre Gerhardt and Giselle Santiago-Bonilla (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department).
A third individual has been taken into custody in connection with the 2025 murder of a Florida woman, following the recent plea deal of another suspect involved in the case.
In February, Giselle Santiago-Bonilla, aged 38, admitted guilt to several charges, including being an accessory after the fact, tampering with a witness, tampering with evidence, and illegally moving a corpse. These charges are tied to the stabbing death of her cousin, Hiojaira Mercedes Velez-Bonilla, who was 41. Earlier reports from Law&Crime indicated that Velez-Bonilla was allegedly killed by Santiago-Bonilla’s partner, 43-year-old Arnaldo Cintron, during a dispute over financial matters and household responsibilities.
Authorities revealed that Velez-Bonilla’s boyfriend, 30-year-old Elga Davis II, attempted to flee the scene, but Santiago-Bonilla allegedly stopped him. After Velez-Bonilla’s death, the couple reportedly coerced Davis into disguising himself in her wig and dress to aid in disposing of her body.
On February 26, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a third suspect, 33-year-old Andre Gerhardt, linked to the crime. According to court documents obtained by Law&Crime, Gerhardt was previously identified only by the alias “Tarzan.” He is accused of assisting Cintron and Santiago-Bonilla in devising a plan to dispose of Velez-Bonilla’s body. Gerhardt faces charges of unlawfully moving a dead body, carrying a concealed weapon as a felon, being an accessory after the fact, and committing burglary.
Law&Crime’s earlier coverage included testimony from Davis during a pretrial detention hearing for Cintron, who faces charges of first-degree murder, unlawfully moving a dead body, tampering with evidence, and witness tampering. Davis recounted that Cintron and Santiago-Bonilla threatened him with being the next victim unless he aided in cleaning up the crime scene.
After the three of them spent around four hours cleaning up the scene, Velez-Bonilla’s body was stuffed into a cardboard box that was wrapped in black mesh. Davis testified that he “just did as [he] was told” when he forced his girlfriend’s body to fit into the box.
Fearing for his life, he then complied with the demand by Cintron and Santiago-Bonilla to wear one of his dead girlfriend’s wigs and one of her long dresses while he drove them all and the body to the apartment of a man known as “Tarzan.”
Before formalizing her plea deal, Santiago-Bonilla identified Gerhardt as “Tarzan” and confirmed that he assisted in disposing of Velez-Bonilla’s body, according to court documents. Gerhardt told police after he was arrested on Feb. 24 that he assisted in helping Cintron, Santiago-Bonilla, and Davis remove the box containing the body from the car and drag it out into the mangroves. Police said he knew what was inside the box, and he admitted that he never contacted law enforcement.
Cintron remains in custody at the Falkenburg Road Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 18, the same day Gerhardt is scheduled to appear in court.
Santiago-Bonilla is scheduled to be sentenced on April 29.