Brazilian police step up the hunt for the homophobic "Rainbow Killer"

Wednesday, 17th December 2008

Written by Francesca Cookney

Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo have stepped up their investigations after they announced that they were hunting for a serial killer, believed to be responsible for up to 16 murders.

Just six months after the city's vibrant gay pride festival, police announced that since July 2007, 16 gay men had been targeted in various locations across the outskirts of Brazil's largest city. Some 13 of them had been killed in Paturis park, a famous gay meeting point. The circumstances are virtually identical, with the half-naked bodies of the victims left in the bushes, having been shot in the back of the head.

The killer, who Brazilian press have branded the 'Rainbow Maniac' is also believed to be responsible for the killing of a transvestite in a motel, as well as a further two murders. "In his head, he thinks he is doing a clean-up job," explained police chief Paulo Fernando Fortunato, who is leading the inquiry. "He doesn't like homosexuals, he hates them."

One suggestion, made by a local newspaper, is that the killer might be using social networking sites such as the popular Orkut to set up faux sexual encounters with his victims. Plainclothes police officers are now patrolling the park by night and Jose Serra, the governor of Sao Paulo has publicly vowed to catch the Rainbow Killer.

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