A California man was charged with murder after police accused him of fatally stabbing former Extreme Makeover: Home Editionstar Eduardo Xol.
Xol, 58, who was a singer and actor before appearing on seven seasons of Extreme Makeover, called Palm Springs, Calif., police early on the morning of Sept. 10 saying that he needed help.
When police arrived, they found Xol in an apartment suffering from multiple stab wounds, a spokesperson for the Palm Springs Police Department tells PEOPLE. He was taken to the hospital where he died on Sept. 20, according to the Riverside County Coroner.
Another man, Richard Joseph Gonzales, was allegedly linked to the scene and arrested and eventually charged with murder, police say.
Police allege that later on the morning of the stabbing, Gonzales called police to say he had been assaulted the previous night. After following up, police claim they determined Gonzales was at the scene of the stabbing and was “likely the suspect.”
Gonzales was initially charged with attempted murder, but police say after Xol died they sent murder charges to the district attorney’s office, which were accepted.
Xol and Gonzales were “associates,” police claim, though it is not immediately clear what the nature of their relationship was.
It is not immediately clear if Gonzales has entered a plea or retained an attorney. He is currently in custody in Riverside County, being held without bail.
Xol, in addition to his on-screen work, was formerly a regular contributor for PEOPLE En Español, with a home decor column called “Casa con Eduardo Xol.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Xol’s family says, “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 statement added, “We ask for that kindness returned now allowing our privacy to be respected as we process our grief. In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made in Eduardo’s name to the Lupus Foundation of America as he spent so much of his life in the service of others.”
