The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says it has arrested a violent suspect who inflicted months of torture on a suspect. On Monday, HCSO deputies responded to a Mobil gas station in Seffner following a call that reported an injured female had escaped from a van and needed help. HCSO says the victim had been panhandling in the area of Hillsborough Avenue and Habana Avenue since January 2024.
The victim met the suspect, 48-year-old Walter Medina, during that time. Initially, Medina provided the victim with food and drugs. However, it is alleged that his behavior soon turned violent as he subjected the female victim to months of relentless physical abuse and captivity.
HCSO says Medina repeatedly assaulted the victim with a wooden baseball bat and a flathead screwdriver. The victim suffered broken ribs, deep puncture wounds, extensive bruising, and more. For more than two months, the victim suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of Medina who transported her around the Tampa Bay area and threatened to kill her if she fled or sought help, according to HCSO.
Medina briefly left the victim unattended at Walgreens allowing her to escape. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Medina charging him with Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, Armed Kidnapping, Armed False Imprisonment, Aggravated Battery with Great Bodily Harm, Tampering with a Witness, and Tampering with Physical Evidence.
Medina was taken into custody following a pursuit with multiple law enforcement agencies on April 2, 2024. He had previously served time for False Imprisonment and has an arrest history of Kidnapping and more.
Jay Skelton is an independent crime journalist with a passion for covering the uncovered and the under covered.