MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – An undocumented immigrant in South Florida may be among the first to face the death penalty under one of the state’s newest pieces of legislation.
The immigrant — Zsolt Zsolyomi, 26 — was arrested last month in Miami after two cases arose where elderly disabled men were found dead under strange circumstances.
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His arrest came on the heels of a special session last month that produced several laws cracking down on illegal immigration in the state, including one that aims to make death penalties mandatory for illegal immigrants convicted of certain crimes.
WHO IS ZSOLT ZSOLYOMI?
Zsolyomi is a Budapest-born Hungarian national who has been accused of strangling two people to death near Miami.
In a news conference last month, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales explained that Zsolyomi had entered the country sometime in 2022, though he overstayed his visa and was “ready to be deported.”
Zsolyomi’s deportation was originally scheduled for September 2024, but instead of detention, he was put on an ankle monitor that he somehow disabled, Morales added.
During the conference, police described Zsolyomi as “the epitome of evil,” saying that he targeted members of the elderly gay community.
“There’s a certain prey and pattern,” Morales declared. “The guy would do it again.”
Law enforcement officials in Hungary have also reported that there are three warrants out for Zsolyomi’s arrest on charges including fraud and theft. The oldest of these warrants dates back to 2022.
WHAT DOES THE NEW FLORIDA LAW HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?
Last month, state Legislators passed a new law as part of a special session aiming to tackle the issue of immigration.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had called for the session following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, pushing for new legislation to better align Florida with the Trump administration’s proposed crackdown on illegal immigration.
One of the new laws to come out of this session — SB 4-C — not only provides harsher punishments for those coming into the country illegally, but it also requires the death penalty for any undocumented immigrants convicted of a capital felony.
In Zsolyomi’s case, he faces charges of second-degree murder, meaning that he would face a death sentence if convicted.
WHY WAS HE ARRESTED?
The incident stems from incidents late last year and earlier this year.
In an affidavit, police said they were called to an apartment in Miami Beach back in November after the body of a man — later identified as Carlos Villaquiran, 66 — was discovered by his family face-down in the bathtub with over half a foot of water.
According to detectives, Villaquiran was an amputee, missing his right leg below the knee. An autopsy shows that he had been strangled to death.
Investigators eventually dug up messages from Villaquiran’s phone that showed he had been in an intimate relationship with another man named “Thomas,” whose real identity was revealed to be Zsolyomi.
Upon further investigation, detectives said they found messages showing that Zsolyomi had beaten Villaquiran and stolen his property, and once Villaquiran realized Zsolyomi’s true identity, he threatened to go to the police with the information.
“Zsolyomi is a Hungarian national who is currently listed as an illegal overstay by the Customs and Border Protection and was fixed with an GPS ankle monitor after he was released from custody for an arrest by the Miami Beach Police Department in July of 2024,” the affidavit reads. “(Detectives) also discovered that Zsolt Zsolyomi provided the police the fictitious name of ‘Thomas Kray’ during that arrest.”
Hours after Villaquiran was found dead, police said they were also alerted to a crash in Miami involving his car. When searching the vehicle, investigators said they found a water bottle with Zsolyomi’s fingerprints.
On Jan. 20, yet another homicide case was reported out of Miami.
This time, an elderly man was found dead in the driver’s seat of a car that had crashed into a fence. Investigators said the victim had suffered trauma, and a nearby surveillance camera caught a man resembling Zsolyomi fleeing the scene.
Police Chief Morales said the evidence indicated that the elderly man had been strangled to death, with the car crash being used to cover up the killing. Investigators said that fingerprints at the scene matched Zsolyomi’s.
In addition, investigators said they discovered more surveillance footage of Villaquiran’s apartment, which showed a man resembling Zsolyomi leaving Villaquiran’s apartment.
As a result, Zsolyomi now faces two counts of second-degree murder stemming from these deaths. His next hearing is scheduled for March 12.
HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION?
Anyone with information about other potential incidents involving Zsolyomi is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-8477.
Alternatively, tips can be made to the police department at (305) 579-6111.
“Even if it happened in another jurisdiction, we can always connect you with the right (law enforcement) partners,” Chief Morales said.