HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A woman who was arrested in connection to two homicide cases back in August 2022 is facing a new charge she's tacked on while in jail, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Fatima Garcia Avila, 21, was charged with attempting to solicit several inmates within the Falkenburg Road Jail to kill a prime witness in her homicide case, according to the sheriff's office.
Witnesses shared the information with HCSO's Jail Intelligence Squad about Garcia Avila. The 21-year-old is in custody for homicides in Dover and Thonotosassa.
Court documents accuse Garcia Avila of helping her boyfriend Daniel Negrete kill his cousin's wife, Erica Aviles. They are then accused of trying to frame Garcia Avila's ex-boyfriend Antonio Benito Cuellar-Enriquez for the crime before killing him.
"This is a woman who has no regard for life other than her own, and she continues to prove that even behind bars," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "I commend the work of the detention deputies and staff for being attentive, alert, and stopping another potential murder."
Following Garcia Avila's latest charge, she has been placed under strict restrictions to protect the witnesses and the integrity of the investigation, the sheriff's office says.
During the first crime, detectives say that Negrete and Garcia Avila drove together to Aviles' home in the 3000 block of Al Simmons Road on the night of July 18, 2022.
Authorities say Negrete and Garcia Avila then left the residence in separate cars. One of the cars was found nearby after it had been set on fire.
According to court documents, Garcia Avila claimed Aviles was a bad mother and was having an affair.