Update: NY Cops Arrest Male Model in Castration Killing of Portuguese Journalist

Update: NY Cops Arrest Male Model in Castration Killing of Portuguese Journalist
NEW YORK (AP) — A male model who had recently been a contestant on a Portuguese reality TV show was taken into police custody hours after his companion, a celebrity Portuguese television journalist, was found castrated and bludgeoned to death in a New York City hotel.

The journalist, 65-year-old Carlos Castro, had arrived in the U.S. in late December in the company of his young boyfriend, the model Renato Seabra, to see some Broadway shows and spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square, according to a family friend.

Update: NY Cops Arrest Male Model in Castration Killing of Portuguese JournalistThere had been some friction between the two men toward the end of the trip, but nothing to suggest that anything horrible was about to happen, said the friend, Luis Pires, the editor of the Portuguese language newspaper Luso-Americano.

“I think that they were a little bit upset with each other, for jealousy reasons,” Pires told The Associated Press.

The couple saw the musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark“ and took in the movie ”The Black Swan.” But when it was time to meet Pires’ daughter for dinner Friday night, Seabra suddenly emerged in the lobby of the InterContinental New York Times Square hotel acting strangely, Pires said.

“He told my daughter, ‘Carlos will never leave the hotel again,’” Pires said.

He said his daughter, distraught, fetched a hotel manager. Security guards opened the door to the room and found the body at about 7 p.m.

By then, Seabra had left the hotel but was detained by police hours later after he sought care at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, not far from the hotel. He was being evaluated Saturday at Bellevue Hospital Center, across town. No charges had been filed against Seabra as of Saturday afternoon, the New York Police Department said.

Police said the victim suffered serious head trauma. The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death.

Seabra was a contestant last year on a Portuguese TV show called “A Procura Do Sonho,“ or ”Pursuit of a Dream,” which hunts for modeling talent.

He didn’t win the show but did get a modeling contract with an agency founded by fashion designer Fatima Lopes, who developed the show and was a judge on it.

Lopes expressed her shock to Portugal‘s Correio da Manha’s newspaper on Sunday.

“He never talked about his private life, he was a quiet boy and perhaps the shyest of all contestants in ‘In Search of the Dream.’ He was very calm and polite, she said. “This whole thing seems surreal to me.”

Seabra had always been interested in fashion, he told the Independente de Cantanhede newspaper in September.

“I have entered this world, and I don’t want to leave it because I see I can be successful,” he said.

Castro, who also was a columnist in Portugal, was admired there for his bravery in coming out as a gay man and “revealing the feminine side of his personality,” said Rui Pedro Tendinha, a film critic who knew Castro.

He was a high-profile public figure as a TV personality, Tendinha said.

“The way he died is causing a big commotion in Portugal,” he said.

The organizer of Lisbon Fashion Week, Eduarda Abbondanza, said she knew Castro from his coverage of Fashion Week. Abbondanza said that when she fell seriously ill, Castro “was always there for me, calling me every time, checking up on me.”

On a trip to Rome, Castro even bought Abbondanza a rosary that the pope had blessed. Abbondanza said that when she heard about Castro’s death, she took the rosary to a church to pray.

“I only wish I could have helped him the way he helped me,” Abbondanza said. “He had a huge heart. Only a human being with a heart like that could have done what he did for me.”

Designer Ana Salazar, considered a fashion pioneer in Portugal, recalled Castro‘s role as one of the country’s first social columnists.

“I was both in his best- and worst-dressed lists in the ’80s,” she said.

She said she was shocked by his death.

“It’s like something out of a horror movie,” she added.

A guest at the InterContinental, Suzanne Divilly, 40, told the Daily News she heard the two men arguing in their room during the day Friday.

“There was a lot of noise, talking,” she said. “You could hear them arguing in the corridor and even in our room.”

Pires described Castro as having “kind of a Liberace style. Eccentric, but very well-known.” He said he had been on Portuguese TV since he was a teenager, had written several books and was friends with the former president of Portugal, Mario Soares.

The young model and older journalist had been dating each other for a few months, he said.

“My wife and my daughter were with him for the past three or four days,” Pires said. “My wife told me that he was a very nice kid. Very polite. I think this must have been a crime of the heart.”

“This was a 21-year-old kid, looking for fame. He (Carlos) probably saw him watching girls, or something.”

News of the murder rattled the town of Cantanhede, population 38,000, in the central Portuguese district of Coimbra, where Seabra was born and where his family lives.

His sister, Joana Seabra, is a doctor and chairwoman of the local political committee of the Social Democratic Youth of Cantanhede. Calls to her home and surgery went unanswered Sunday, and no one was picking up the phone at the number listed as belonging to the family where the suspect’s mother, Odilia Seabra is believed to live.

Seabra‘s childhood friend Lurdes Silva told the local Diario de Coimbra newspaper in Sunday’s editions that she was stunned by the allegations.

“He entered the fashion world in the hope of changing his life. Dreams are easy at our age,” she said. “He was looking for a dream and found a nightmare” She said the two shared an interest in racing pigeons.

“The news has hit Cantanhede like a bomb,” Casas de Melo, an organizer of the Cantanhede racing pigeon association. He told Diario de Coimbra Seabra was “a spectacular young man.

The death is the second recent slaying in an upscale New York City hotel room.

Swimsuit designer Sylvie Cachay, 33, was found strangled and drowned in a bathtub at the trendy Soho House hotel on Dec. 9. Her boyfriend Nicholas Brooks has pleaded not guilty in her death.

Brooks, the 24-year-old son of “You Light Up My Life” writer and Oscar winner Joseph Brooks, has been held without bail since his arrest.

And in February last year, prosecutors say multimillionaire Gigi Jordan killed her 8-year-old autistic boy at the the posh Peninsula Hotel. Jordan pleaded not guilty to murder. She wrote a letter saying she planned to kill herself and her son, but prosecutors have said she may have faked the suicide attempt. Her lawyer says the claim is baseless.

___

Associated Press writer Harold Heckle in Madrid and AP Television Producer Joana Mateus in London contributed to this report.

Comments (46)

1 2
  • PIL
    Posted on January 11, 2011 at 10:10am

    I don’t see any of you passing judgment at Hugh Heffner marrying a girl old enough to be his great grand daughter, or Demi Moore marrying Ashton Kutcher, a man that could be her son. This 65 year old was a victim of a crime and you ridicule him? Well, I don’t. I’m proud of that man, proud that he lived his life the way he wanted instead of being one of those so-called “ex-gays” that marry a woman and cheat on her in public bathrooms. Morality be damned, sex is a matter of taste, and if it’s between consenting adults then I got no beef with it.
    http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com/

    Report Post » PIL  
  • Bernard
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 3:32pm

    In reality such actions are all too common. Honor killings, similar murders of a wife or husband have hit the news fairly regularly. The only reason this story stands out is that the murderer is a model and the affair was a homosexual relationship.
    It only demonstrates that homosexuals like heterosexuals act and behave in the same manner except for their sexual orientation.

    Report Post »  
  • HippoNips
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 1:46pm

    Most likely the rich old man took this younger man to New York and once their attempted to force him into a sexual encounter. .
    This is how predators operate, they first seperate the victim from all their friends and support.

    Report Post »  
  • WSGAC
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 9:02am

    …and God gave them over to a depraved mind…

    Report Post »  
  • psst
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 8:36am

    Well! I guess if One can leave his heart in San FranFreako.
    Surely One can leave his ***K in NY.
    Both cities are full of the same types.

    Report Post »  
  • Bermuda Onion
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 6:53am

    I wonder if this Seabra guy has anything to do with the Seabra guy from New Jersey with the “Seabra” supermarkets in the region. Here in MA we have a few Seabra supermarkets mainly in the very strong, Portuguese strongholds (New Bedford, Fall River, Attleboro)

    Report Post »  
  • tbear44
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 3:04am

    Wonder what he did with the sack? :p

    Report Post » tbear44  
  • Kiwon
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 1:53am

    Ah, a 65-year old and a 21-year old, what a cute couple! Truly a match made in Heaven.

    Report Post »  
  • faithaz
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 12:52am

    truly perverted. Gross.

    Report Post » faithaz  
  • AzDebi
    Posted on January 10, 2011 at 12:46am

    Hey Center Right…I read your blog and have to tell you that you are spot on…Don’t you just love it when you comfort them with the truth…impossible, you’d think, for them to argue…but they always find a way! Good luck on your endeavors and God Bless You

    Have one question/correction: When you state…”Giffords has ardently supported the law and has criticized the federal governments “inaction and neglect” in securing nation’s southern border.”

    If you are stating that Gifford supports SB 1070, that would not be correct…although she did not support 1070, she is in agreement that securing the border is the responsibility of the Federal Government…she also opposed Obama’s law suit against our state…

    Report Post » AzDebi  
  • Midwest Blonde
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 11:30pm

    Saddens me to hear of a man’s death.

    That being said, when one lives a perverted lifestyle, one can expect perverted results.

    Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
  • Ookspay
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 10:50pm

    Great article Center Right. I read your blog regarding the shooting and you are spot on!

    Report Post » Ookspay  
  • Lucifers Hammer
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 10:42pm

    Where’s bloomberg calling for a ban for all knives. Only for civilians though. He’ll still be able to eat his steak with a nice steak knife.

    Report Post » Lucifers Hammer  
  • Ookspay
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 10:39pm

    I’ll check out your blog kid. Have you read “The Five Thousand Year Leap” yet? It will take you a semester but it is required reading for any conservative blogger. Keep up the good work, indoctrinate as many of your college buddies as you can, just kidding, no really.

    Report Post » Ookspay  
  • Liberty_Forever
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 10:26pm

    Re: “I think this must have been a crime of the heart”
    Really? I‘m thinking this must’ve been a crime of the pervertedly insane. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t remember ever being taught castrating someone is the ultimate cure for a broken heart.

    Report Post »  
  • Mikee T
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 10:19pm

    Some of WhiteTeaParty’s gang…..undoubtedly…..Gee, another “passive” pair of liberals…..God rest the dead man’s soul………..I’ll pray for his soul…… This Glenn and Sarah’s fault too ?

    Report Post »  
  • chaoticupheaval
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 9:42pm

    hmmmmm where is Tranquil Rider and WhiteTeaParty…..surely they have some intriguing comments regarding this story, they always have their liberal 2 cents worth in every other story on here.

    and sorry…but TMI ….. a 65 yr old “liberacesque” man and his boy toy…..i need a bath now….i feel yuck!

    Report Post » chaoticupheaval  
  • kamin
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 9:29pm

    Some people are so anal about getting a reach-around.

    Report Post »  
  • theredsaint
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 9:20pm

    Wow. A perverted lifestyle ending in a perverted, tragic ending. I’m shocked.

    Anyone notice how the story attempts to evoke compassion from a normalized standpoint? As though, hey, this is so normal? They make it like it was some 65 year old, well loved guy who got murdered by his 21 year old model girlfriend. We’re talking about a 65 year old sodomite getting his jollies with a 21 year old boytoy, a guy who was so desperate for fame, he was willing to *Censored* with an old barney frankfurter, even though the kid was probably into girls to begin with. Enter three months of simmering, self denial and self hatred, projected onto his elder accomplice in sin. Probably got pushed over the top after spending a weekend with a hot Portugese gal and her mom, and realized the tingling butterfly feeling from down below were more than a case of too much sauerkraut on his curbside hotdog.

    Sickness and filth giving birth to sickness and filth. God have mercy on our souls.

    Report Post » theredsaint  
    • PIL
      Posted on January 11, 2011 at 10:13am

      Perverted lifestyle? Where was your judgment when Hugh Heffner marries and has sex with 20 year olds? What a laugh, King Salomon had 600 wives and 300 concubines, yet one 65 year old having the sex he wants with one man is a perverted lifestyle? What a joke.
      http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com/

      Report Post » PIL  
  • scout n ambush
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:52pm

    He will probably get of on accidental homocide claiming he accidentally pushed his stool in to far and caused him to hit his head.

    Report Post » scout n ambush  
    • Psalm 144 verse 1
      Posted on January 10, 2011 at 8:52am

      Bbbwwwhahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Wait, if he gets a liberal judge, it might just “get off” with that defense.

      Report Post » Psalm 144 verse 1  
  • scout n ambush
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:46pm

    This could be the safe school czars new intern Eric holder can probably get him off with jennings help.

    Report Post » scout n ambush  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:39pm

    I am sorry but someone has to say it. I guess he didn’t like the way his crap was packed. Like I said I am really sorry. NOT. I guess they come in all flavors.

    Report Post »  
  • cheezwhiz
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 7:58pm

    “He was looking for a dream and found a nightmare” She said the two shared an interest in racing pigeons.
    ———-

    Is that something like fighting dogs ? or roosters ?

    Report Post » cheezwhiz  
  • RobertCA
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 7:54pm

    Reality TV = Teen pregnancy – Child exploitation by parents – Drunks & druggies becoming celebrities ……………

    Report Post » Robert-CA  
    • Cherished Emblems
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:37pm

      We need a return to morals in this country!

      http://www.cherishedemblems.com/

      Report Post » Cherished Emblems  
    • Ookspay
      Posted on January 9, 2011 at 10:23pm

      Wow Obama gives gays the right to join the military and they start going crazy! Arizona shooter is gay and now this! Imagine what will happen if they get gay marriage.

      Ookspay  
    • joseph Fawcett
      Posted on January 10, 2011 at 12:14am

      This is tragic for everyone concerned, gay issues not withstanding.

      http://www.josephfawcettart.com please pray for my brother Anthony Fawcett he is dying. Had a massive heart attack and contracted H1N1, thanks.

      Report Post » joseph Fawcett  
    • sissykatz
      Posted on January 10, 2011 at 1:22am

      @Joseph Your Brother will certainly be in my prayers, as will you and your entire family.I am sorry you all have to go thru this,and maybe with God’s help he will go peacefully, if no possibility of recovery.May God be with you all.

      2

      @ Joseph

      Report Post »  
    • RobertCA
      Posted on January 10, 2011 at 6:27am

      @ Joseph
      Will do .
      Our prayers to Anthony .

      Report Post » Robert-CA  
  • TruthTalker
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 7:49pm

    Pretty twisted world they were living in…

    Report Post »  
  • RobertCA
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:08pm

    lol :) :) :) :)

    Report Post » Robert-CA  
  • cheezwhiz
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:27pm

    Why am I suddenly in the mood for a linguica or a chorizo ?
    mmmmmm

    Report Post » cheezwhiz  
  • spirited
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:27pm

    2ND lol! ;O}

    Report Post » spirited  
  • cheezwhiz
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:39pm

    Was there a gunsight on NY that could put the blame on Sarah Palin for this unspeakable act? Better ask Whiteteaparty about this one too.

    ———–
    OK lemme try .

    Palin eats moose hot-dogs on her TV show ,
    thats why this Portugese got his weiner chopped in NYC.
    She also smacks halibut in the head..
    Sorry can’t do it :D

    Report Post » cheezwhiz  
  • Kisha
    Posted on January 9, 2011 at 8:47pm

    lol

    I don’t think I feel very sorry for any involved in this story. Sounds like a lot of sex, drugs, money, politics, fame, games and so on going on. Mixing all that together is bound to = some sort of bad ending!

    Report Post » Kisha  
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