Florida Mother and Daughter Butchered in Midnight Stabbing Attack

A peaceful Florida neighborhood turned into a crime scene early Saturday morning after a man allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home and launched a savage knife attack, leaving a mother dead and her daughter fighting for her life.

Authorities say 41-year-old Maguy Pouye was fatally stabbed inside her North Fort Lauderdale home just before 2 a.m. on April 12. Her daughter, Isabelle Joseph, was also attacked and remains in critical condition.

The alleged killer? Her former partner, 56-year-old Vital Joseph — a man who once shared the same roof.

“This was a calculated act of violence,” a source close to the investigation told us. “He knew the layout of the home. He knew who would be inside. This wasn’t random — it was personal.”

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Joseph broke into the home in the dead of night and immediately went on the attack. When deputies arrived, both victims were still alive but bleeding out. Pouye died shortly after being rushed to the hospital.

Late Saturday night, Joseph was finally arrested across the state in Palm Bay. Officers from the Palm Bay Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol teamed up to take him down. He was booked into the Brevard County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and felony burglary with battery.

Family members say Pouye had tried to move on with her life. She was focused on her children and working hard to keep her family safe and stable.

“My mother was our rock,” Isabelle wrote on a GoFundMe page for her funeral. “She raised five of us alone, always putting everyone else first. She didn’t deserve to die like this.”

Republican lawmakers and commentators have long raised alarms about violent repeat offenders and the failures of the justice system to protect law-abiding citizens — especially women. In this case, officials confirmed that Joseph previously lived at the home, raising questions about whether Pouye had ever sought protection or feared for her safety.

So far, the sheriff’s office has remained tight-lipped about the history between the victim and her killer. They also would not confirm whether the daughter was biologically related to Joseph.

But one thing is clear: a woman is dead, a young survivor is clinging to life, and the state will now prepare to prosecute a man accused of one of the most heinous domestic attacks in recent memory.

Joseph is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday. The investigation remains ongoing.