Police have arrested a man they labeled a “brutal rapist” after he allegedly raped and mutilated a woman in Orlando over the weekend.
Bruce Whitehead, 54, was arrested by Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Thursday, December 15, after authorities received a tip from an observant resident around 7 a.m.
Whitehead is accused of raping and mutilating a woman off Pine Hills Road on Saturday, December 10.
According to police, deputies responded at around 4 a.m. on Saturday to a call from the victim after she had escaped Whitehead and was assisted by some bystanders.
The victim says that earlier that evening, she met Whitehead at a business near the Florida Mall. At that time, she willingly agreed to go with Whitehead to a few locations.
At one of the stops, Whitehead presented a weapon and threatened to harm her if she did not comply with his demands.
The victim and Whitehead went to a final stop near North Lane, where the victim claims Whitehead sexually battered her. After she was battered, the victim says that Whitehead attempted to murder her. She fought him off and was able to escape to a nearby subdivision, where she got help.
Through the suspect’s description, police were able to identify Whitehead and eventually found his vehicle Saturday.
In the 1980s, Whitehead was sentenced to 40 years, but completed 20 years in prison for a rape and attempted murder that he committed in north Florida.
Whitehead is being charged with armed kidnapping, armed sexual battery, and attempted murder, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Office representatives.