HAINES CITY, Fla — Haines City police arrested a school worker for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend to death.
Rose Marie Hernandez-Rosa, 38, is charged with second-degree homicide and tampering with evidence. She is a cafeteria worker at Citrus Ridge: A Civics Academy.
Officers say they arrived after 1:30 a.m. on Friday to find live-in boyfriend Joyssie Weayne Colon Candelaria, 34, lying in a puddle of his own blood in a bathroom at the Parkview Village apartment that he and Hernandez-Rosa shared.
Colon Candelaria was pronounced dead before 2 a.m. Detectives say he had a single puncture wound to the left collarbone area. An autopsy revealed that Colon Candelaria was stabbed in an artery, which caused him to bleed out. Blood was also found on the bathroom walls and bathtub.
Hernandez-Rosa told police that she found Candelaria lying face down before calling 911. Detectives say she claimed Colon Candelaria was a cocaine user but denied ever seeing him use cocaine. None was found at the scene.
Hernandez-Rosa said the two were involved in a physical altercation earlier in the evening but denied stabbing him until she was shown a picture of the wound. Hernandez-Rosa then said that during the altercation, she had a pair of scissors in her hand and that’s what she used to stab him. She told detectives that after the stabbing, she ran into her bedroom and locked the door.
According to officials, Colon Candelaria and Hernandez-Rosa have a history of domestic violence. Colon Candelaria was arrested on domestic charges in 2018. Hernandez-Rosa said the two have not slept in the same room for three months because of continuous fighting. Neighbors told detectives that the two fight almost daily.
One neighbor, who could see into the apartment, claimed to see Hernandez-Rosa strike Colon Candelaria repeatedly. HernandezRosa claimed to have acted in self-defense. There was no evidence that she suffered any injuries during the altercation.
A child was present at the time but did not see the stabbing.
Hernandez-Rosa was arrested and transported to the Polk County Jail. “Because of the thorough, diligent and outstanding work of our detectives, we were able to make an arrest in this case,” Interim Police Chief Loyd Stewart said. “If you’re a victim of domestic violence, whether you’re female or male, I implore you to seek the available resources and get out of these relationships.” #
