Bodycam, surveillance video shed light on local murders; police say suspect, 25, was possibly targeting older gay men
New video provides killer clues months after a gruesome murder inside a Miami Beach apartment that led to a young man’s arrest in what police described as a crime spree that left two men dead.
By Sheldon Fox, Rubén Rosario
Click here for updates on this story
MIAMI BEACH, Florida (WSVN) — New video provides killer clues months after a gruesome murder inside a Miami Beach apartment that led to a young man’s arrest in what police described as a crime spree that left two men dead.
Miami Beach Police discovered the body of 66-year-old Carlos Alonso Villaquiran face down in a bathtub inside Apartment 15 at 1010 Pennsylvania Ave., Nov. 21.
Officer-worn body cameras rolled as police investigated the crime scene.
“Bent over in the tub,” one officer told another.
This death, or 45, as first responders referred to it, was later labeled a murder.
“Standing post on the ’45’ investigation,” an officer is heard saying in bodycam video.
Detectives determined the cause to be strangulation.
A manhunt resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Zsolt Zsolyomi months later.
Investigators said the suspect was seen on surveillance video entering and exiting the apartment multiple times, one day before police found the body of Villaquiran, who lived there.
Police said the victim and Zsolyomi were romantically involved, but before the killing, there was a pattern of abuse.
Detectives reviewed Villaquiran’s phone, where they found pictures of him with a black eye, along with messages discussing the abuse.
At this point, police were working the case but hadn’t yet arrested anyone.
A couple months after the South Beach murder, City of Miami Police responded to scene of a homicide at an apartment complex near Northwest 14th Avenue and Second Street.
It’s terrible, yeah. It’s really, really dangerous,” said an area resident.
It was this later case that led detectives to Zsolyomi.
“[The suspect] strangled the driver and then staged the vehicle crash in an attempt to cover up for the homicide,” said Miami Police Chief Manny Morales.
An arrest warrant states Zsolyomi’s fingerprints from the Miami scene allowed detectives to connect him to the Miami Beach crime.
“[Zsolyomi] is a Hungarian citizen that had come to the country sometime last year, overstayed and was already in our system, ready to be deported,” said Morales. “It appears now that the connection [between the murders might be that he was targeting the elderly gay community.”
The suspect stood before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Feb. 20.
“I’m going to hold you with no bond on each case where you are charged with two second-degree murder,” she said.
“He is the epitome of evil,” said Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones.
Zsolyomi’s trial is pending. His next court appearance is scheduled for September.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
