Colleagues remembered Teofilo Vargas Paulino as calm and hardworking as police investigated the dispute that preceded his death.
MIRAMAR, Fla. — The arrest of a suspect in the killing of a Miramar car wash worker has ended a police search but left the victim’s family and colleagues without an explanation for the fatal confrontation.
Teofilo Vargas Paulino, 51, died after he was stabbed Wednesday night near a Mobil gas station and car wash on Miramar Parkway, police said. Jerry Saint Vil, 26, was arrested early Saturday and faces a charge of premeditated first-degree murder with a weapon.
Officers responded to the gas station in the 16000 block of Miramar Parkway at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday. Vargas Paulino was found with serious injuries and flown to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said Vargas Paulino and Saint Vil had been involved in an altercation before the stabbing. Authorities have not released the subject of the disagreement, a possible motive or information showing whether the men had a previous relationship.
Vargas Paulino worked at the car wash near the gas station. His son, Alan Vargas, said his father was working near Miramar Parkway and Southwest 172nd Avenue when he was killed.
Amilzar Hernandez, who worked with Vargas Paulino, described him to CBS Miami as a “calm, nice guy” who did not have problems with others. Hernandez said he could not understand what might have led to the attack.
The stabbing disrupted the busy commercial corridor as police closed an eight-block section of Miramar Parkway. Officers searched the surrounding area while investigators reviewed surveillance video from nearby businesses, according to initial reports.
Authorities later identified Saint Vil as the suspect, issued a first-degree murder warrant and released his photograph while asking the public for help finding him. Miramar police said he was located early Saturday in the 2100 block of Acapulco Drive and arrested without incident.
Jail records show Saint Vil is being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail. The charge against him remains an allegation, and guilt would have to be established in court.
Police have not publicly described the evidence linking Saint Vil to the stabbing beyond their account of the altercation. They also have not said whether investigators recovered a weapon or whether surveillance recordings captured the confrontation.
With a suspect in custody, the unanswered motive remains central to the investigation and to those mourning Vargas Paulino. Authorities have not announced any additional suspects or said when more details may be released.
Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.