MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Two men were arrested Saturday after a man was fatally stabbed during a fight at a remote mobile home community near a pond in western Miami-Dade County, authorities confirmed Monday.
Julissa Melo said the stabbing victim was her friend Richie Chavarrias, who was very well-liked in the small community just east of Krome Avenue and the Everglades Wildlife Management Area Conservation Area.
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Sunday morning report:
“It was shocking when I heard he passed away,” said Melo. “Everybody loved him. He always talked to everybody. He was funny. He liked to help everybody. Everybody here really liked him.”
Miami-Dade police officers said they detained 36-year-old Eduan Salmon and 57-year-old Heriberto German Toledo Perez at 14601 NW 185 St., and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel used a helicopter to fly Chavarrias, 30, to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital where he later died from his injuries after sustaining three large puncture wounds to his upper body area.
The investigation quickly unfolded after police had located a witness who had observed both Perez and Salmon washing a bloody knife in a sink shortly after the attack.
The witness provided a formal statement to the MDPD’s Homicide Bureau, leading detectives to further investigate the two men, according to an arrest report.
Another witness told police that the stabbing occurred while he and two other victims were walking past Perez’s property, the report stated.
According to the victim’s statement, police said Salmon exited the gated residence and began shouting at the group in Spanish, brandishing a kitchen knife and threatening to “f--- them up.”
Moments later, police said Perez emerged from the residence and stabbed Chavarrias in the back. As Chavarrias fell to the ground, both suspects reportedly fled back inside the property.
Authorities confirmed both Perez and Salmon were detained for questioning. They said during separate interviews, both men were read their Miranda rights and waived them before offering conflicting accounts of the events.
Perez admitted to drinking beer with Salmon throughout the day, starting around 1 p.m. on Friday and continuing until the time of the incident, police said. He claimed that at some point, he discovered Salmon lying outside the gated residence and helped him back inside, denying any involvement in a physical altercation.
Salmon, however, provided a different version of events.
He told detectives that he began drinking with Perez around 5 p.m. and was sitting in the yard with his eyes closed when he was suddenly jumped by several unknown individuals, including Chavarrias, according to the report.
Salmon said he pulled a large kitchen knife from his back pocket to defend himself but claimed that his assailants fled before he could harm anyone, investigators said. He then entered Perez’s home and informed him of the alleged attack.
Responding officers were able to locate Perez and Salmon on the property, where they were apprehended. As the suspects were taken into custody, police said a witness approached them and reportedly pointed at Perez, stating, “He is the one who stabbed my friend.”
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, and both suspects are facing charges related to Chavarrias’ death. Detectives said they are continuing to gather evidence as they work to piece together the events leading up to the violent encounter.
Jail records show both men are facing one count each of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Both suspects appeared in court on Sunday, where a Miami-Dade judge held them on no bond.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.