79-Year-Old Charged in Hialeah Double Killing
- Miami-Dade deputies charged 79-year-old Jose Vidal with killing his wife, Eugenia Chang, 79, and stepson, Jim Chang, 53, at their townhome. - Detectives say Vidal’s story shifted, bloody sandal prints matched footwear in the home, and video showed him dumping bags before biking hospitalward. - Investigators say the fight followed accusations Vidal stole money and faced eviction from the apartment. (cbsnews.com)
Miami-Dade deputies say 79-year-old Jose Vidal fatally stabbed his wife, Eugenia Chang, and his stepson, Jim Chang, at their northwest county townhome. (cbsnews.com) (local10.com) The killings happened on April 18 at the Antigua at Country Club of Miami townhomes in the 17500 block of Northwest 67th Place, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Vidal was later booked on two counts of second-degree murder with a weapon. (local10.com) (nbcmiami.com) Investigators say the case turned on a dispute over money. The arrest report says Jim Chang had accused Vidal of stealing a large amount of cash and had told relatives Vidal would be kicked out of the apartment. (cbsnews.com) (local10.com) (nbcmiami.com) Vidal told investigators he had been attacked by two men, knocked unconscious, and later found his wife and stepson dead. Deputies say surveillance video showed no one matching that description near the home. (nbcmiami.com) (local10.com) Deputies say Vidal rode his bicycle more than six miles to Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines instead of waiting for emergency crews after calling 911. CBS Miami reported investigators also say he stopped at a gas station to buy lottery tickets on the way. (nbcmiami.com) (cbsnews.com) At the hospital, doctors found Vidal had a superficial cut to his abdomen and no head injury, according to the arrest report. Detectives say that undercut his account that he had been beaten unconscious inside the apartment. (nbcmiami.com) Inside the home, deputies found dried bloody shoe prints near the bodies and through the apartment. Investigators say the prints matched sandals recovered in the kitchen that appeared to have been cleaned but still had traces of blood. (nbcmiami.com) (local10.com) Surveillance video also showed Vidal carrying several full trash bags to a dumpster on April 18, investigators say. CBS Miami reported the contents of those bags have not been publicly identified. (nbcmiami.com) (cbsnews.com) A neighbor told CBS News Miami she received flyers from deputies seeking information and said she believed money may have been behind the violence. Vidal was ordered held without bond, and a judge found probable cause for the charges. (cbsnews.com) (local10.com)
