The trial for Renato Seabra, the 22-year-old Portuguese model accused of castrating and killing his older lover in a Times Square hotel room last year, continues this week with even more gruesome testimony: yesterday, criminologists charged that Seabra changed his shoes three times post-murder.
Two criminologist, including Jennifer D'Andrea of the Chief Medical Examiner's office, told the jury that the Intercontinental hotel room in which Portuguese fashion journalist Carlos Castro, 45, was allegedly castrated with a corkscrew and murdered had blood track marks from both a pair of Nike sneakers and a pair of Puma dress shoes. Earlier testimony stated that a showered, moussed-haired Seabra was wearing a pair of black Versace shoes when he left the hotel room that day, as well as a purple tie and matching shirt, suggesting Seabra took the time to spruce up before heading out. The witnesses also noted that Castro's cell phone was covered in Castro's blood, which was also found inside the sleeves of Seabra's overcoat.
Seabra's defense lawyers, David Touger and Rubin Simins, say that Seabra killed Castro in a fit of insanity, castrating Castro and putting his testicles on his wrists in an attempt to "harness the power" of his "demon" homosexuality. The prosecution, on the other hand, alleges Seabra murdered Castro after the wealthy older man threatened to cut him off. More bloody detail to come in testimony this week.
