NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 56-year-old man was arrested in Brevard County for a murder and an attempted murder in Broward County, deputies announced on Sunday.
Vital Joseph attacked Maguy Pouye, who he used to be in a relationship with, and Isabelle Joseph early Saturday morning in North Lauderdale, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
“For somebody to do something so cruel to her … I can’t,” Pouye’s sister, Kimberly Gaynor, said.
Vital Joseph stabbed the two victims at his former home at about 1:50 a.m., on Saturday, at 1842 Runners Way, and fled, according to deputies.
The victims’ relatives released surveillance video from a Ring camera that they said showed Vital Joseph going in and out of the house.
“He’s a coward -- middle of the night. Just a coward, coward move. He should have waited, called me to meet him there and did what he needed to do,” Pouye’s cousin, Jean-Pierre Gaston, said. “I just pray and hope that the justice system prevails in this situation.”
North Lauderdale Fire Rescue personnel found Pouye and her daughter, Isabelle Joseph, suffering from stab wounds and took them to the hospital where Pouye died, according to deputies.
Relatives said Pouye and Vital Joseph had previously been in a relationship, however he’d been out of the picture for about a year.
“I just couldn’t speak at the moment. I just, like. my heart dropped,” Gaston said. “I felt like all my organs dropped my mouth -- just the fact she was fighting for her life even after he left.”
Isabelle Joseph remains at Broward Health Medical Center. Family members say she’s in stable condition following surgery after being stabbed multiple times.
“Isabelle is still here, thank God,” Gaston said. “She’s a fighter just like her mother.”
Yolanda Franklin, a nearby neighbor, told Local 10 News on Saturday that deputies used dogs and a helicopter during their search.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers helped Palm Bay Police Department officers arrest him hours later on Saturday night.
Court records show Vital Joseph has an arrest record in Miami-Dade County. Police officers arrested him in 2013 in North Miami for sexual battery and the case was dismissed in 2019.
The suspect was awaiting extradition on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and burglary of a dwelling with a battery.