Thread: Hungarian national killed elderly | Rodolfo Fernandez de Velasco, Carlos Villaquiran

Hungarian national killed 2 elderly, disabled men in Miami and Miami Beach: Police

Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, is accused of murdering a man he was in an intimate relationship with, police say

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/...beach/3548689/

By NBC6

• Published February 20, 2025
• Updated on February 21, 2025 at 7:04 am

NBC Universal, Inc.

A man was linked to two separate murders in Miami and Miami Beach, including the killing of a man he was in an intimate relationship with, authorities said.

NBC6’s Briana Nespral reports

A man was linked to two separate murders in Miami and Miami Beach, including the killing of a man he was in an intimate relationship with, authorities said Thursday.

Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, a Hungarian national, is charged with second-degree murder in both cases, according to jail records. Both victims were elderly, disabled men, according to Miami police.

On Jan. 19, a man was found dead in the driver's seat of a vehicle near Northwest 14th Avenue and Second Street in Little Havana, according to an arrest warrant. The victim, identified as 71-year-old Rodolfo Fernandez de Velasco, was found with both front seatbelts around his neck.

The victim had sustained trauma, and police only concluded his manner of death as a homicide.

According to the warrant, surveillance cameras nearby captured the vehicle crashing into a fence and a man jumping out of the vehicle and fleeing the area.

Detectives later matched fingerprints from the vehicle to Zsolyomi.


Miami-Dade Corrections

Miami-Dade CorrectionsBooking photo of Zsolt Zsolyomi

Zsolyomi is also accused of a murder back in November when a man was found dead in his Miami Beach apartment after family members repeatedly tried to reach him, the warrant said.

The victim, a 66-year-old man, was discovered unresponsive with his head and upper body partially submerged in the bathtub with water, according to the warrant. The medical examiner later ruled he died by strangulation.

Detectives discovered Zsolyomi went by the fictitious name "Thomas" and that he and the victim were in an intimate relationship. They found text conversations, pictures of the two together, and doorbell camera footage of the pair entering and leaving the Miami Beach apartment.

Text conversations also revealed the victim accusing Zsolyomi of beating him and stealing from him, the warrant said. He also sent a photo of his injured eye. Zsolyomi first denied beating him, but then responded with, "Sometimes I don't know what I do when I'm drunk" and apologized several times.

The victim threatened to call the police on Zsolyomi if Zsolyomi didn't return his stolen property, and even revealed that he knew Zsolyomi's real name, date of birth and jail number.

Police say security cameras caught the suspect entering and leaving the apartment the night before Villaquiran’s body was found inside.

According to detectives, Zsolyomi is a Hungarian national currently listed as an illegal overstay by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He wore an ankle monitor after he was released from custody from a robbery arrest in Miami Beach in July of 2024.

Authorities are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Zsolyomi or who has information related to similar cases to contact the Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 305-603-6350.

This article tagged under:

CRIME AND COURTS

Miami Police Nab Illegal Immigrant in Middle of Alleged Murder Rampage

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PUBLISHED

https://www.newsweek.com/hungarian-i...ay-men-2036187

FEB 25, 2025 AT 04:22 PM EST


Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, is accused of murdering two elderly gay men in Miami, Florida, in November 2024 and January 2025. | Miami-Dade County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/Miami-Dade County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

By Dan Gooding
Associate Editor

A Hungarian illegal immigrantis in custody for allegedly strangling to death two elderly men in Florida, with cops saying if he had not been arrested, his killing would have likely continued.

Police in Miami arrested Zsolt Zsolyomi, 25, on Wednesday, February 19, over the deaths of two gay men he had befriended before they were killed in November and January.

Newsweek reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for further comment on the suspect's immigration status Tuesday afternoon.

The Context
Illegal immigrant crime became a focus of the 2024 presidential election, with a promise by now-President Donald Trump that he would tackle the problem more aggressively than his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, on his return to the White House.

While immigrant crime has generally been found to be less common than offenses carried out by American citizens, the stories often highlight the issue of border security and the undocumented population.

What To Know
Zsolyomi's first alleged victim was found dead in his Miami Beach apartment bathtub on November 21, 2024. Carlos Villaquiran, 66, was strangled to death, according to the Medical Examiner's report.

Police said the suspect had befriended Villaquiran and his second victim, Rodolfo Fernandez de Velasco, who died January 21, 2025. The 71-year-old was discovered in the driver's seat of his car in Miami, with both front seatbelts wrapped around his neck.

Surveillance footage showed the car crashing into a wall before an unknown man got out of the passenger door and fled the scene. Police believe Zsolyomi and Fernandez de Velasco had met just a little earlier that evening at a gas station.

When officers caught up with Zsolyomi in Miami Beach, he confessed to detectives and was taken into custody. He is being held on two counts of murder in the second degree, jail records showed, as well as an immigration detainer.

Zsolyomi arrived in the U.S. in October 2022, police said, and overstayed his visa. He was awaiting deportation, ordered in September 2024, and was wearing an ankle monitor, but had not yet been removed when the crimes occurred.

What People Are Saying

Miami Beach Police Chief Wayne Jones told reporters:
"There's no doubt in my mind, had he had not been caught, he would have done this again, and again, and again."

Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales, in a press release:
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of all the detectives involved in this case, from multiple agencies, who worked seamlessly together to locate and apprehend a suspect responsible for such despicable acts against our most vulnerable citizens."

What's Next
Police said they believed the suspect was targeting elderly gay men in the Miami area and asked that anyone else who may have been a victim of the Hungarian, or could offer information on his case, to come forward. Zsolyomi is next due in court on March 12.