Male model arrested after Portuguese journalist's death

Carlos Castro, a well-known Portuguese celebrity journalist and society columnist for Correio da Manhã, was founded murdered in his hotel room Saturday night in New York City, where he had traveled with a younger male model. Police have arrested the model, Renato Seabra, and admitted him to Bellevue psychiatric hospital after he attempted to take his own life, according to news reports.

The 65-year-old Castro, a homosexual rights activist in Portugal, was beaten to death and his scrotum cut with a broken wine glass following a wild fight in his suite, police said.

The 20-year-old suspect gained fame after appearing on a reality television show A Procura Do Sonho (Pursuit of a Dream). The two traveled to New York on December 29.

According to The New York Daily News, the two began fighting when Seabra accused Castro of not spending enough money on him. The victim's body was found after friends went in search of the two men at the hotel and Seabra ran out.

The suspect's mother, Odília Pereirinha, told Correio da Manhã on Sunday that her son never had a relationship with the journalist and denied reports that Castro was paying for his studies.

Born in Angola, Castro became one of Portugal's first society columnists. He published two books, and his latest, As Mulheres Que Marcaram a Minha Vida, came out last year.