NEW YORK CITY: Portuguese Gay Activist Found Slain, Male Model In Custody

Noted Portuguese gay activist and fashion journalist Carlos Castro, 65, has been found dead and gruesomely mutilated in a midtown New York City hotel. Castro's traveling companion, a young model, is in police custody.

The naked body of Carlos Castro, 65, was found lying face-up in a pool of blood inside his 34th-floor room at the InterContinental New York Times Square on W. 44th St. about 7p.m., the sources said. The prominent gay activist had been bludgeoned in the head and his scrotum cut off, sources said. Several hours prior to the grisly find, Castro had a heated argument with his companion - Renato Seabra, a twentysomething Portuguese male model - sources and witnesses said. The two checked in together on Dec. 29. A female friend of the writer and producer grew concerned after she heard of the dispute and went to the swanky hotel to check on Castro, sources said. Not knowing what room her pal was in, the New Jersey woman went to the front desk. Suddenly, the tall, chiseled Seabra came through the lobby, recognized the worried woman and told her Castro "was not coming out of his room," a source said.

Guests at the hotel report having heard the pair arguing loudly earlier in the day. Police found Seabra at Bellevue Hospital, where he'd checked himself in for undisclosed reasons. Below is a Portuguese news report on the murder, followed by a clip of the suspect appearing on a Portuguese modeling competition show.