AVP has learned that Renato Seabra, a 21 year-old from Cantanhede, Portugal, has been arrested on the charge of second-degree murder in the death of 65-year-old Carlos Castro, a prominent Portuguese journalist and LGBTQ activist. Castro was discovered on Friday, January 7, in his hotel room in the InterContinental Hotel in Times Square which he had been sharing with Seabra. Castro had been beaten to death and castrated. The NYPD and Manhattan District Attorney’s Office say that initial reports indicate this was a domestic dispute but are also investigating possible hate and bias motivations. AVP will continue to work with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD, as well as the office of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, to follow up on this incident.

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