The Paturis Park murders are a series of 13 murders of
gay men committed between July 2007 and August 2008. The murders took place in Paturis Park ("Parque dos Paturis") in
Carapicuíba
Carapicuíba () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 403,183 (2020 est.) in an area of . It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in the sta ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and were perpetrated by an unidentified
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
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*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
who has been dubbed the "Rainbow Maniac".
Murders and investigation
The killings took place between February 2007 and August 2008 in Paturis Park.
The victims, all gay men, were aged 20–40. All but one were shot, 12 of them in the head; one died from blows to the head. The last victim was shot 12 times.
According to Brazilian media, the park is in an area frequented by
prostitutes
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
. Police dubbed the killer the "Rainbow Maniac", a reference to the
gay pride flag
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
.
The first murder occurred on 4 July 2007 and the last on 15 March 2009.
Officials from the São Paulo State Public Safety Department announced that the killer could be a state police officer.
, tests are underway to see if the same gun was used in each murder.
Suspect arrested
On 10 December 2008, police arrested a retired state police sergeant, Jairo Francisco Franco, based on witness statements implicating him in a murder which occurred on 19 August 2008.
A witness claims to have seen Franco shoot a black gay man 12 times that night.
Another witness told police that Franco often visited the park to look for gay men and victims.
Suspect released
On 23 August 2011, Jairo Francisco Franco was released after the trial, having been declared not guilty by the jury by 4 votes against 2.
See also
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List of fugitives from justice who disappeared
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List of unsolved murders
These lists of unsolved murders include notable cases where victims were murdered in unknown circumstances.
* List of unsolved murders (before 1900)
* List of unsolved murders (1900–1979)
* List of unsolved murders (1980–1999)
* List of u ...
References
{{reflist
2007 in LGBT history
2007 murders in Brazil
2008 in LGBT history
2008 murders in Brazil
Deaths by firearm in Brazil
Fugitives
Hate crimes
LGBT in Brazil
Male murder victims
Murder in Brazil
Serial murders in Brazil
Unidentified serial killers
Unsolved murders in Brazil
Violence against gay men