The alleged killer of Portuguese gay
journalist Carlos Castro told friends that he wasn't gay.
The sixty-five-year-old Castro was
found dead by hotel workers at the Inter-Continental New York Times
Square Hotel late on Friday. Several outlets are reporting that
Castro suffered serious head trauma and had been castrated.
Police arrested Renata Seabra, a
20-year-old fashion model who had been traveling with Castro, hours
after he fled the scene to seek care at a nearby hospital.
The two men arrived in New York City in
late December to ring in the New Year.
The New York Daily News is
reporting that Seabra denied he was gay.
“He told people back home, before the
trip, that he wasn't gay,” a police source told the paper. “He
got [Castro] to pay his way to New York and wanted him to boost his
career, buy him things.”
Seabra earned fame last year on the
Portuguese reality talent contest A Procura Do Sonho, or
Pursuit of a Dream. He didn't win the contest but was signed
to a modeling contract.
Seabra and Castro quarreled over sex
and money. Seabra became bitter when a promised shopping trip failed
to materialize, while Castro was jealous of Seabra's flirtations with
girls.
Castro had written articles and books
about fashion and was a vocal gay rights advocate.
Friends say the two men had been dating
for several months.
Officials described the crime scene as
“a mess.”