Teen charged with murder in Tampa park attack denied bond

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa judge denied bond on Thursday for the 18-year-old charged with first-degree murder months after a violent attack at a park.

The decision came hours after Antonio Gueits appeared in court for a bond hearing on Thursday morning.

Case against Antonio Gueits

The backstory:

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to University Area Park off N. 22nd St. in the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 2024, and found a severely injured woman who had been attacked and robbed.

PREVIOUS: Woman dies months after violent attack at Tampa park leading to first-degree murder charges for suspect: HCSO

Investigators say surveillance video showed Antonio Gueits approaching Cerida Charon, 65, and hitting her in the face, then stomping on her head repeatedly before stealing her purse. Later that same day, detectives identified Gueits as the attacker and arrested him.

The detective said on Thursday that Gueits had a jacket that matched the description of the jacket seen in surveillance footage from the gas station.

Pictured: Antonio Gueits at a previous court appearance.

Charon remained at Morton Plant Hospital until she was pronounced dead on March 16, 2025.

Gueits was charged with first-degree murder on March 17. He's also charged with robbery less than $750, aggravated battery with great bodily harm on a victim over 65, tampering with physical evidence, robbery $750 or more, but less than $20,000, and felony battery.

Sheriff Chad Chronister released a statement last week, calling the attack "completely senseless and inhumane."

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The other side:

Gueits' attorney challenged the state's evidence, questioning whether the violence was motivated by an intent to take the woman's belongings, as opposed to it being an afterthought.

His attorney also argued that there's not strong enough evidence to show this was a case of felony murder.

"There was a battery that led to significant injuries on the part of Ms. Charon," Jamie Kane, Gueits' defense attorney, said. "Whether or not those injuries are connected to her death is for a later determination. However, what's important here is that in the state's motion for pre-trial detention, they do not allege pre-meditation."

What's next:

Gueits will remain in jail until his trial. No trial date has been set.

The Source: This story was written with information from Hillsborough County court records and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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