Man stomped woman’s head to get her purse, Florida cops say. Months later, she’s died

A purse snatching turned into something “horrific” when an 18-year-old man began stomping on an unconscious woman’s head until her bones started to crack, according to investigators in Florida.

Cerida Charon, 65, died Sunday, March 16, after enduring three months in a hospital, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 18 news release.

The suspect, Antonio Gueits, was already facing a series of felony charges, but that list now includes first-degree murder while engaged in a robbery, jail records show.

Investigators say the attack happened just before 7 a.m. on Dec. 26, at a community center park in Tampa.

“Upon arrival, deputies found a severely injured woman who had been brutally attacked and robbed,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Surveillance footage revealed that Antonio Gueits, 18, approached the victim and struck her in the face, causing her to collapse. While she laid unconscious, he repeatedly stomped on her head, inflicting severe injuries, including multiple broken bones and a brain bleed. After stealing her purse, he fled the scene.”

The suspect was arrested “without incident” the same day, and charged with robbery of less than $750, aggravated batter causing great bodily harm to a victim over 65, tampering with physical evidence, and robbery $750 or more but less than $20,000, officials say.

An autopsy confirmed Charon died of “complications from blunt force head trauma,” the sheriff’s office said.

“This was a completely senseless and inhumane attack over nothing more than a purse,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release.

“This innocent woman was left unconscious, suffering, and fighting for her life for months because of this man’s horrific actions.”

This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 9:58 AM.