ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man found guilty in the attack and mutilation of a woman in Orange County in December 2022 was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison.
Bruce Whitehead was convicted last week of kidnapping, raping and attempted murder. He picked up a woman on South Orange Blossom Trail and then drove her to Pine Hills, where he tried to kill her. The victim was helped by bystanders after she was able to escape.
The sheriff’s office said the woman was approached by Whitehead and she willingly got into his car. He then stopped at a convenience store and brought her a water, an incident report showed.
After driving away, Whitehead stopped and walked around to the passenger door and told the woman to get out while holding a knife to her throat, the report said. He then sexually attacked her.
Court records collected by News 6 show in 1987, Whitehead was found guilty after taking a woman from her car into the woods at knifepoint, raping her repeatedly and then stabbing her 25 times. She survived the attack.
A judge sentenced Whitehead to 40 years in state prison for attempted murder, armed kidnapping and sexual battery in Duval County, records show. News 6 could not immediately confirm whether Whitehead received any gain time credit to reduce the length of his sentence, which was originally scheduled to end in 2027.
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