Eduardo Xol, an actor and designer on the 2000s television hit Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, has died, Fox News reported. The 58-year-old succumbed to injuries from a stabbing that occurred 10 days prior at his Palm Springs home.
On Sept. 10, the Palm Springs Police Department responded to a call from a man in distress. When police arrived at the scene, they found a severely injured Xol.
He told officers he had been stabbed but did not offer the name of the alleged attacker at the time. However, the perpetrator would become known hours later after Richard Joseph Gonzales called to report that he'd been assaulted.
Investigators put the clues together and ultimately charged Gonzales as the suspect in Xol's stabbing. He was initially charged with attempted murder, which has since been changed to homicide due to Xol's death.
No motive has been released for the reality TV star's murder. However, additional information from the Bay Area Reporter could shed some additional light on the circumstances of the crime.
It was around 5:41 a.m. when police were called to Xol's apartment, located on the 400 block of E. Arenas Road in Palm Springs, California. The Bay Area Reporter noted this is "where most of the gay bars and gay-focused businesses in the city are situated."
Xol, who was born Eduardo Torres, was a gay man, though it is unknown if this had anything to do with the crime. Investigators would get a break in the case at 9:13 a.m., when Gonzales called the police to report that he had been assaulted the night before.
The call from Gonzales came from an area about a mile east of where the attack on Xol allegedly occurred. Police said the two men were "associates" but did not elaborate on the nature of their relationship.
Authorities have not disclosed how they pieced together Gonzales' alleged involvement in Xol's murder. However, he's been booked and jailed without bail, awaiting his first hearing on Dec. 18.
Xol's family shared a touching statement to Fox News Digital. "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," the family wrote.
"We ask for that kindness returned now allowing our privacy to be respected as we process our grief," the family said, adding that they were requesting donations to the Lupus Foundation of America in lieu of flowers. Xol's younger sister suffers from lupus.
Friend Richard Pérez-Feria similarly expressed grief and love for Xol in an Instagram post. "Please don’t ask me how or why at this point…what matters most is who he was: A talented, beautiful, passionate friend, brother, son and partner," Pérez-Feria wrote.
Xol, a native of Los Angeles, was best known for his participation in ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in the second season of the series. He also starred in Spanish-language telenovelas and had a role in the 1998 film "Bravo."
Sadly, Xol's life came to such a violent and tragic end before his time. While his contribution to the entertainment world is important, the lives he touched offscreen will be his legacy.
