Victim of gruesome Pine Hills assault to take the stand against accused rapist

ORLANDO, Fla. — The victim of a gruesome sexual assault in Orange County is expected to confront her accused rapist in court on Tuesday.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

It comes after prosecutors called three witnesses to the stand Monday.

Channel 9 showed you the start of the trial against accused rapist Bruce Whitehead and the intense moment when Whitehead’s close friend testified against him.

Deputies say Whitehead raped and mutilated a woman in December of 2022.

Read: Person dies in crash involving cement truck, minivan in Grant-Valkaria

At the time he was a registered sex offender and had already served time for a similar crime that happened in 1986 in Duval County.

The victim of that 1986 attack took the stand earlier in the trial.

Victim of gruesome Pine Hills assault to take the stand against accused rapist (WFTV)

Prosecutors also called Whitehead’s friend to the witness stand last week. That friend claimed Whitehead told him he had “messed up” the night of the alleged 2022 rape.

Read: EDC Orlando reveals full 2024 lineup

On Monday, prosecutors continued to lay out their case with experts testifying that a DNA sample collected from the victim’s body was more than 700 billion times more likely to have come from Whitehead than any other person.

Prosecutors also played body camera video showing the moment a 5-day manhunt to find Whitehead came to an end.

That video showed deputies removing a bandana from Whitehead’s forehead, which covered distinct tattoos.

Read: Hooters to close some ‘underperforming’ stores in multiple states

Whitehead has “Sacrifice” tattooed on his forehead. Deputies testified Monday that the victim used Whitehead’s tattoo to help identify him as the main suspect in her attack.

The victim is the last witness the prosecution is expected to call before they rest their case.

She is expected to testify in a closed-court session Tuesday.

The defense is expected to begin calling witnesses to the stand after the victim testifies.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2024 Cox Media Group