A “brutal rapist” who fatally stabbed a central Florida woman has been arrested after authorities asked for the public’s help in finding the heavily tattooed suspect, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Bruce Whitehead, 54, was arrested Thursday morning after a tip from an “observant resident,” the office said in a social media post.
“Thank you to our community members and media partners who made sure her face was everywhere,” the post read.
Whitehead, who has the word “victim” tattooed on his forehead, was wanted on December 10 for raping a woman.
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“Brutal rapist” Bruce Whitehead is in police custody thanks to a tip from a bystander.
(Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
A corporal in the sheriff’s office’s sex crimes unit called Whitehead a monster who killed the woman and described it as a “particularly horrific” attack. The woman survived and is expected to recover, but told authorities she thought Whitehead was going to kill her, and that she refused to have sex.
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Bruce Whitehead, 54, raped and injured a woman on Pine Hills Rd., near North Ln. Orlando, Florida, December 10, 2022.
(Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Sheriff’s Office told FOX 35 the arrest was made at Landstar Boulevard and Weatherbee Road in the Orlando metro area. Deputies arrested him 15 minutes after a report of his whereabouts came in just after 7 a.m.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Bruce Whitehead, 54, raped and injured a woman on December 10 on Pine Hills Road near North Lane.
(Orange County Sheriff’s Office)
Whitehead’s car was found before he was arrested, deputies said.
Whitehead previously served 20 years in prison for rape and attempted murder in the 1980s, authorities said.