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Man convicted of raping and mutilating woman in Pine Hills sentenced to life in prison – WFTV

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Bruce Whitehead, the man convicted in 2022 of sexually abusing, mutilating and then attempting to murder an Orange County woman, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday.

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Whitehead was found guilty on all six counts, including sexual assault with a deadly weapon, attempted premeditated murder with a weapon, kidnapping with intent to harm/terror with a weapon, robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Because of the charge of sexual assault, he faced a minimum sentence of 50 years in prison, and because of his status as a repeat offender, he even faced life imprisonment.

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In total, Whitehead was sentenced to life imprisonment for the first four counts, plus 15 years for aggravated assault and five years for aggravated battery, all to be served consecutively.

He was also fined $55,000.

Whitehead has 30 days to appeal the verdict.

During the seven-day trial, prosecutors repeated the victim’s testimony and also presented evidence of Whitehead’s history as a violent offender.

The state stated that Whitehead was accused of raping and attempting to murder another, unrelated woman in Jacksonville in 1986.

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The victim in this case testified and provided similar facts as in the recent case.

Bodycam videos played in court showed how the five-day manhunt for Whitehead ended in 2022.

Prosecutors pointed to location data, surveillance videos and clear DNA evidence collected after the crime.

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