Crime
‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ Star Who Was Fatally Stabbed 23 Times ID’d Alleged Killer in Hospital
Former Extreme Makeover: Home Edition star Eduardo Xol — who died on September 20, 2024, at 58 after being stabbed at his apartment 10 days prior — identified his alleged killer at the hospital, according to courtroom testimony.
The Bay Area Reporter reported that during the Tuesday, March 17, preliminary hearing, police testified that Xol knew Richard Gonzales, 36, who has been charged with first-degree murder, for about four or five years and that the two had a sexual relationship.
After Xol was stabbed in his apartment in Palm Springs, California, he declined to identify who attacked him, but he later claimed at the hospital that it was Gonzales, according to what was said in court.
Gonzales has pleaded not guilty.
The Bay Area Reporter said Palm Springs Police Detective Javier Carrillo testified that he was present for Xol’s autopsy and said the medical examiner reported Xol had been stabbed 23 times — four times in the head, nine times in his trunk and 10 times in his arms and legs.
Hours after Xol was stabbed, police arrested Gonzales at a gas station. Police reportedly said that Gonzales — who has a criminal record and allegedly had just been released from prison — initially claimed a third person assaulted both him and Xol.
People reported that Gonzales called police and claimed he’d been assaulted the previous night.
According to the Bay Area Reporter, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John J. Ryan ruled there is sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial. The next hearing is set for April 1.
Following Xol’s death, his family said in a statement to People, “We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of our beloved Eduardo Xol. As his family, we know that his kindness has touched the lives of so many.”
“We ask for that kindness returned now allowing our privacy to be respected as we process our grief,” the statement continued. “In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made in Eduardo’s name to the Lupus Foundation of America as he spent so much of his life in the service of others.”
