An 18-year-old from Colombia is accused of using a knife, sword and ax to brutally attack and kill his stepfather at their Miami-Dade home.
Juan Andres Gonzalez remains lodged in jail without bond on a first-degree murder charge and an immigration detainer. Gonzalez, whose last name is at times listed as Gonzalez-Diaz, entered the country on a tourist visa in 2018 and never left, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Gonzalez was arrested by police in Miramar, Florida, for allegedly killing his own stepfather on June 20, just a day before Father’s Day.
Police responded to a residence in Miramar, a city in the Miami suburbs, and found the bloody crime scene. The victim was unresponsive in the front doorway of his home, suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene. Gonzalez had locked himself inside a bathroom, but he came out after being told to do so by deputies, according to the police report.
Local 10 News reported deputies found a blood-stained knife, sword and ax in the home, suggesting that Gonzalez used all three weapons to kill his stepfather.
Authorities said that Gonzalez began attacking his stepfather while he was asleep at the dining room table. It remains unclear what prompted the violent domestic dispute.
Responding officers said Gonzalez’s mother didn’t witness the stabbing but was at home when it happened. She reportedly heard sounds in the family room and told deputies that her son confessed to attacking him.
According to the arrest report, Gonzalez repeatedly stabbed him with “multiple sharp objects,” but deputies did not elaborate on a possible motive.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer following his arrest and have asked Florida authorities to keep him in custody or turn him over to ICE.
“ICE @ICEgov is working with our Florida law enforcement partners to ensure this criminal is NEVER loose on our streets again,” DHS shared on social media.
Miami-Dade County jail records indicate he was in custody at Metro West Detention Center.
According to DHS records, Gonzalez entered the country through New York City on May 18, 2018, on a tourist visa. He was legally allowed to remain in the country for six months.
Unlike sanctuary jurisdictions, Florida honors ICE detainers so he won’t be released back onto the streets.
“This criminal illegal alien overstayed his tourist visa and brutally murdered his stepfather in Florida eight years later,” said DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “We need all jurisdictions to cooperate with us, so criminal illegal aliens are NOT released from jails to terrorize American communities.”
