Renato Seabra, the Portugese underwear model accused of brutally castrating and killing his older lover at the Times Square InterContinental in January 2011, has been found guilty. The prosecution successfully argued that Seabra killed 65-year-old journalist Carlos Castro because he was angry when the older man ended their three month affair, and stopped paying his bills. “The motive is as clear as if it were written in lights on a Times Square marquee,” said prosecutor Maxine Rosenthal. “It’s about rage. It’s about humiliating and emasculating the victim.”
During the trial, it was revealed that Seabra cut off Castro's testicles using a corkscrew while Castro was still alive; in addition, he also choked him, bashed him over the head with a computer, and stomped on his skull in their Times Square hotel room, leaving sneaker prints. Seabra's lawyers tried to argue that while Seabra did kill Castro, he was not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
Defense lawyers said Seabra "believed Mr. Castro's testicles were demons, and that by pulling them out, everything would be right with the world," and after digging Castro's testicles out with a corkscrew, he slit his own wrists, "took the testicles and put one on each wrist," in order to "harness the power."
“He said the demon was homosexuality and he only killed Carlos Castro to make the world a better place,” defense lawyer David Touger said in closing arguments. But prosecutors said that Seabra had made up the testicles-in-wrist aspect to add to his insanity defense; they pointed out that after the murder, Seabra showered, used hair gel, put on clean clothes, took $1,600 from Castro’s wallet, and placed a “do not disturb” sign on the room’s door as he left. “All of these things demonstrate that he is aware and present and he knows what he is doing,” Rosenthal said.
Castro's sister, Maria Amelia Castro, said that "justice was made," and expressed her hope that Seabra would get "prison for life." He faces 25 years to life when he is sentenced on December 21st.
