Deputies said Jose Vidal gave conflicting accounts before evidence tied him to bloody footprints inside the home.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL — A 79-year-old Hialeah man has been charged with killing his wife and stepson after a fight over money at a northwest Miami-Dade home, authorities said Monday.
Jose Vidal faces two counts of second-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of his wife, Eugenia Chang, 79, and his stepson, Jim Chang, 53. The case moved into court days after deputies found both victims stabbed inside a home at the Antigua at Country Club of Miami community. Vidal was ordered held without bond after an initial court appearance.
Investigators said the killings happened April 18 inside a townhome in the 17500 block of Northwest 67th Place. According to an arrest report, Jim Chang had accused Vidal of stealing a large amount of money and had told relatives he planned to remove Vidal from the home. Deputies said the argument turned violent and Vidal stabbed both victims. A neighbor who identified herself as Edeana said police later came through the apartment community with flyers about the deaths. “I just can’t believe something like this would happen,” she said. “They were not bad people.”
Deputies said Vidal did not seek medical help until April 20, two days after investigators believe the victims were killed. The arrest report says Vidal rode a bicycle more than six miles to Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines after first stopping at a gas station to buy lottery tickets. Vidal told people he had been attacked by two men inside the home, knocked unconscious and later woke up to find his wife and stepson dead, according to the report. He also said he called 911 but did not wait for emergency crews before leaving for the hospital. Doctors found only a superficial cut to his abdomen and no head injury, investigators said.
Deputies sent to the home found both victims dead with apparent stab wounds. Investigators said the scene did not match Vidal’s account. The arrest report says dried bloody shoe prints were found near the bodies and in other parts of the home. Those prints matched a pair of sandals found in the kitchen, according to detectives. The sandals had been cleaned, but testing still found traces of blood, the report says. Surveillance video from the complex showed Vidal wearing the sandals, investigators said. Detectives also said video showed Vidal making several trips to a nearby dumpster with full trash bags on April 18. The footage did not show anyone matching the description of the men Vidal claimed attacked him.
The Antigua at Country Club of Miami community sits near Miami Gardens in northwest Miami-Dade, close to the Broward County line. The case drew attention because of the delay between the suspected time of the killings and Vidal’s trip to the hospital. Investigators said the timeline became a key part of the case, along with the medical findings, the bloody prints and the surveillance video. The arrest report says Vidal gave different versions of what happened after arriving at the hospital. Authorities have not said what, if anything, was recovered from the dumpster or whether they believe the weapon used in the stabbings has been found.
Vidal was arrested April 24 and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. At a weekend bond court appearance, a judge ordered him held without bond. Court records show an arraignment hearing is scheduled for May 15. Investigators said Vidal later acknowledged that he fought with his stepson over stolen money and confirmed he was being kicked out of the home. The arrest report also says Vidal asked detectives how they found blood on his sandals if the sandals had been cleaned. Detectives wrote that Vidal said the victims’ families would get justice only when he dies.
The case remains in the early court stage, and prosecutors will have to prove the charges in court. Second-degree murder with a weapon is one of Florida’s most serious violent felony charges. Vidal has not been convicted. Authorities have not released a full account of the victims’ final hours, and investigators have not publicly described the exact amount of money at the center of the dispute. No other arrests have been announced.
As of Monday, Vidal remained jailed without bond while the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office continued its investigation. His next known court milestone is the May 15 arraignment.
Author note: Last updated Monday, April 27, 2026.