Renato Seabra, the alleged killer of
Portuguese gay journalist Carlos Castro, pleaded not guilty to
charges of murder in New York City on Tuesday, the AP reported.
Seabra reportedly confessed to
officials that he killed Castro in a fit of rage. The 21-year-old
fashion model has been accused of bludgeoning to death and castrating
with a wine corkscrew the 65-year-old Castro on January 7 in the
Inter-Continental New York Times Square Hotel room the pair were
sharing.
Several Portuguese media outlets
attended the hearing, the New York Times reported.
The journalists speculated that Seabra
was not gay and had accompanied Castro to New York in hopes of
securing a career in the fashion world. A reporter for the Jornal
de Noticias in Porto, Antonio Soares, questioned whether Castro
was taking advantage of the youth, trading influence for favors.
Seabra appeared in the courtroom
dressed in a neon-orange jacket with his hands cuffed behind his
back. He remained quiet as his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty
on his behalf to charges of second-degree murder.
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.
Castro had written articles and books
about fashion and was a vocal gay rights advocate.