A 79-year-old Hialeah man is behind bars, accused of killing his wife and step-son following allegations that he stole a large sum of money from his step-son and was subsequently told he would be kicked out of their apartment.
Investigators from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office have charged Jose Vidal with two counts of 2nd degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of his 79-year-old wife, Eugenia Chang, and his 53-year-old step-son, Jim Chang.
A neighbor who identified herself only as Edeana and declined to show her full face told CBS News Miami she first learned of the incident when the Sheriff’s Office was distributing flyers at the Antigua at Country Club of Miami Apartments, located at 17580 NW 67th Place, seeking information about the deaths of the mother and step-son.
Edeana said, “The police came and brought us this flyer. I just can’t believe something like this would happen. They were not bad people. I don’t know why this happened. It could have been for economic reasons. I would see him once in awhile getting on his bike and he would come and go.”
Investigators say Vidal initially said he had gone to his apartment on Sunday, April 20th, and got in to a confrontation with two men there and was knocked out.
He reportedly claimed that when he woke up, he found his wife and step-son had been stabbed to death. He said he called 911 and then rode his bicycle six miles to Memorial West Hospital, where doctors found he had a superficial wound on his stomach.
Vidal was transferred to Memorial Regional Hospital, where investigators say they learned that he and his step-son had argued over a large sum of money that Vidal had allegedly stolen. The step-son reportedly told others he planned to kick Vidal out of the apartment.
Investigators report finding bloody shoe prints and the suspect’s sandals at the scene. Surveillance video also showed Vidal placing several bags in a dumpster, though the contents of the bags remain unknown.
In a bizarre twist, the Sheriffs Office said that while Vidal was on his way to the hospital, he stopped at a gas station to buy lottery tickets.
Investigators said Vidal admitted to getting in to a fight with his step-son and confirmed that he was being kicked out of the apartment. He reportedly said he had lost his home once before and this time he had nowhere else to go.
In court, Vidal was held without bond and a judge found probable cause for the charges.
