A 44-year-old Orlando woman will spend the next 25 years in prison for killing her roommate nearly four years ago, even though investigators never recovered the victim's body. Gisselle Victoria-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday in Orange County Circuit Court, bringing the case to a close.
The plea deal, detailed by Court TV, caps Victoria-Gonzalez's sentence at 25 years with 665 days of credit for time already served. In exchange, prosecutors dropped additional charges of tampering with physical evidence, grand theft, and interfering with a dead body. At her 2024 arrest, she was charged with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and grand theft. As clickorlando.com reported, an Orange County judge formally handed down the sentence for the murder of her roommate, whose body remains missing to this day.
The victim, 42-year-old Runyleidy “Runy” Medina-Pacheco, was last heard from during a Christmas Day 2022 video call with her husband. Two days later, on December 27, 2022, Victoria-Gonzalez reported her missing to Orlando police, telling officers she hadn't seen her roommate since Christmas — a claim investigators would later dismantle piece by piece, per the same Court TV account.
A Dispute Over Missing Cash Turned Violent
Detectives investigated a dispute over money between the roommates after the victim's co-workers alerted investigators.
When investigators searched the women's shared apartment on the 6200 block of Curry Ford Road, they found evidence that went far beyond a simple argument. Two broken fingernails and dried blood matching Medina-Pacheco's DNA were recovered across the walls, doors, ceiling, baseboards, floors and furniture of the unit — heavy splatter that directly contradicted Victoria-Gonzalez's account that her roommate had simply walked away.
Chainsaw Purchase and Search History Sealed the Case
Store surveillance cameras captured Victoria-Gonzalez buying a gas-powered chainsaw at a Lowe's the day after the Christmas Day call, December 26, 2022, then using the same debit card at a nearby Walmart to purchase 55-gallon trash bags, dishwashing gloves and dish soap. She told investigators during questioning that the chainsaw was meant for her uncle in the Dominican Republic.
Forensic extraction of her cellphone turned up a different story. Searches on her device included queries for which side of the body the aorta is on, prices for an electric saw, and what happens to trash in Orlando — digital breadcrumbs investigators say pointed toward planning and an attempt to dispose of a body. Cell tower data also conflicted with the timeline Victoria-Gonzalez had initially given police, the outlet reported.
An Arrest Nearly Two Years Later in Connecticut
Victoria-Gonzalez wasn't taken into custody until November 2024, when a multi-agency investigation spanning local, state and federal law enforcement tracked her to Hartford, Connecticut. Patch reported that Orlando Police Department detectives traveled to Connecticut to interview and arrest her.
At sentencing, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court Judge A. James Craner heard testimony from Medina-Pacheco's uncle, who said her disappearance caused “irreparable damage” to the family and led to her father's hospitalization in a psychiatric facility. Victoria-Gonzalez apologized in court, per the Court TV report, but offered no explanation of where her roommate's remains might be found.
Prosecuting a Murder Without a Body
Under Florida Statutes § 782.04(2), explained by FindLaw, second-degree murder is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison and applies to killings that show a depraved mind regardless of human life without a premeditated design. Victoria-Gonzalez received a 25-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin discusses the investigative challenges of no-body homicide cases, including evidence preservation. Victoria-Gonzalez was convicted even though Medina-Pacheco's remains have not been recovered.
Nearly four years after Medina-Pacheco vanished following that final Christmas Day call, her family now has a conviction and a 25-year sentence — but not the one thing they have waited the longest for. Where her remains ended up is a question Victoria-Gonzalez has still not answered.
