Former TV star Eduardo Xol dead at 58 after stabbing attack, prime suspect now charged with murder

By 
 September 26, 2024

A former TV star and home designer has passed away more than a week after he was brutally stabbed in an attack.

Eduardo Xol, who previously starred in ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," succumbed to his mortal injuries and died at a hospital on September 20, 10 days after he was the victim of a horrific stabbing, according to People magazine.

The prime suspect in the vicious assault, Richard Joseph Gonzales, who was arrested the same day that Xol was first hospitalized and remains in police custody, has now been charged with murder.

Stabbed to death

People reported that, according to the Palm Springs Police Department, Xol called for help from his apartment after he was physically assaulted in the early morning hours of Sept. 10, and when officers arrived they found that he'd suffered multiple stab wounds and quickly had him transported to a nearby hospital.

Per the Riverside County Coroner, Xol ultimately perished in the hospital from those grievous injuries 10 days later on Sept. 20 -- a death that was first reported by celebrity gossip website TMZ, after it received confirmation of his passing from Xol's mother.

He had been listed in a "serious but stable condition" when he was first hospitalized but apparently took a turn for the worst over the past week.

Family issues statement on actor and designer's death

The Palm Springs Desert Sun reported that Xol's family said in a statement, "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 family added. "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."

Xol was an actor, singer, and interior designer who gained fame as a star of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," in which he appeared in 65 episodes from 2005 through 2012.

According to his IMDb page, Xol was also credited with appearances as an actor in about a half-dozen films, Spanish-language soap operas, and music videos, and had more than a dozen credited appearances as himself on various TV series, awards shows, and parade events.

Suspect remains in custody, now charged with murder

According to People, Xol's suspected assailant, Richard Joseph Gonzales, who was arrested on the same day as the attack and was initially charged with attempted murder, has now been formally charged with murder.

Gonzales actually linked himself to the crime when he called the police and claimed that he'd been the victim of an assault the night before, just a few hours after the police had first responded to Xol's call for help.

Officers quickly determined that Gonzales had been at the scene of the stabbing and that he and Xol were "associates," though they declined to specify the extent or nature of any alleged relationship between the two.

According to local outlet KESQ, Gonzales, 34, continues to be held in custody without bail at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio while awaiting further court proceedings on the upgraded murder charge.

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