An Orlando man is being accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend, with whom he had a 6-month-old child, just weeks after a reported domestic violence incident in which he punched the woman multiple times in the stomach to terminate her unborn child.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 41-year-old Pierre Floriant on Thursday, January 5, and charged him with the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Joanna Ragine Gomez-Simo.
According to a report by the sheriff’s office, Gomez-Simo was reported missing by friends on January 5 after they tried to contact her cell phone and were unable to reach her. The friends told police that Floriant answered the phone and told different accounts of Gomez-Simo’s whereabouts.
A wellness check was conducted at the home and during a search, Gomez-Simo’s body was found underneath a sheet in a room with no furniture. A detective noted that she exhibited signs of having been strangled to death. At the time, she was 20 weeks pregnant.
At the time of the incident, Gomez-Simo’s four young children ages 10, 8, 5 and 6 months, were in the home.
In interviews, the children detailed multiple incidents in which Floriant had struck or attacked their mother. The children recalled hearing the couple fighting over Floriant’s accusations that Gomez-Simo had been unfaithful in their relationship.
According to friends of Gomez-Simo, Floriant attacked and made multiple threats on Gomez-Simo’s life for her refusal to get an abortion in the months leading up to the fatal incident.
During an interview, Floriant admitted to strangling Gomez-Simo after saying he had reached his “boiling point.”
According to the report, on the night of the incident, Floriant, said he overheard Gomez-Simo speaking with what he believed was another male. When confronted, Floriant said that Gomez-Simo ignored his accusations and eventually went to bed. While Gomez-Simo was sleeping, Floriant said that he entered her room, got on top of her, and strangled her to death.
In the weeks leading up to Gomez-Simo’s death, friends and family members say that Floriant had made various threats and attacks. On December 2, Floriant was arrested for aggravated battery after striking Gomez-Simo multiple times in the stomach. During the incident, Floriant demanded that Gomez-Simo get an abortion for their unborn child. When she refused, Floriant repeatedly struck Gomez-Simo in the stomach in order to terminate the child.
According to authorities, Gomez-Simo had been planning on moving to Indiana to “get a fresh start.” The State Attorney’s Office said it had been in discussions with Gomez-Simo regarding the move, but that in mid-December, she ceased contact.