Portuguese Model Could Plead Insane as he Fights Charges of Castrating and Murdering a Celebrity Journalist in NYC
A young Portuguese model could plead insane as he fights accusations of castrating and murdering a celebrity journalist in a New York hotel.
The lawyer for Renato Seabra, 21, who is being held in a psychiatric hospital jail ward, is awaiting medical records before deciding if his mental state should be a defence.
Seabra admitted brutally attacking Carlos Castro, 65, in Manhattan two months ago for more than an hour and castrating him with a corkscrew, prosecutors said.
'Insanity': Renato Seabra could plead insane as he fights accusations of castrating and murdering celebrity journalist Carlos Castro in a New York hotel
But he has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder.
Dead: Carlos Castro died in January. Seabra admitted brutally attacking him for more than an hour, prosecutors said
Seabra slammed Mr Castro's head into a monitor, choked and stomped on him - and his bloodied, naked and castrated body was found on the floor, authorities said.
Friends said the two of them, who were on holiday together in Manhattan, were a couple - but Seabra’s mother has denied her son was gay or Mr Castro’s lover.
An argument turned vicious and escalated into a frenzy, with Seabra choking his companion before stabbing him in his face and groin, a court heard.
Seabra then showered, put on a suit and left the hotel, he told police.
When he ran into a friend of Mr Castro's and her daughter, he firstly refused to answer questions about his whereabouts but then gave them the hotel room number, it is alleged.
He wandered around the city and eventually got into a taxi that took him to a hospital, court papers said. Mr Castro died of head injuries and strangulation.
Seabra’s lawyer David Touger said they are planning a 'vigorous defence' to charges.
Model: Friends say the two of them, who were on holiday together, were a couple - but Seabra's mother has denied her son was gay or Mr Castro's lover
Mr Castro paid for the couple's trip to celebrate the New Year, but detectives allege Seabra killed him when he refused to take him on an expensive shopping trip.
The 21-year-old was a contestant last year on a Portuguese television show called A Procura Do Sonho, or 'Pursuit Of A Dream', which hunts for modelling talent.
Although he did not win the show, he gained a modelling contract with an agency founded by designer Fatima Lopes, who developed the show and was a judge.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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