Brazilian police have arrested a male escort who has confessed to stabbing 14 clients to death following brief relationships with each of them.
Renato Teixeira da Silva was seized on 5th July on suspicion of killing two adults in the Greater Sao Paulo area.
At the police station, the 34-year-old not only confessed to the crimes, but also admitted to having killed several others over a period of years.
Detective Roberto Krasovic of the 6th Police Station in Sao Bernardo do Campo told local media: “We have identified one victim in Santo Andre and another in Sao Paulo.
“He talks about 14 (victims), but in our official statement, he mentions a number of nine. Of course, all of this will be investigated later.
“We will wait because more facts are likely to emerge, especially now that he is in custody. People who were victims of him should come forward, and we are on hand.”
According to Krasovic, Da Silva said in his statement that his victims were clients and both men and women.
His confessed modus operandi was to meet them through dating apps, where he posed as “Bruno”.
He would then have a brief relationship with them, and stab them to death with a knife “when he felt offended”.
The police are also reportedly looking into whether he used poison.
The detective told local media: “He continued to act, arranging meetings through specialised dating websites.
“In fact, that was his livelihood, and when he felt contradicted, he simply chose to kill the person. It’s a statement that shocks me.”
Da Silva was tracked down in Franco da Rocha following the disappearance of a man in Sao Bernardo do Campo in December last year.
He faces charges of homicide with aggravating factors.
Detective Kelly Cristina Sacchetto Cesar de Andrade of the Sao Bernardo do Campo police department told local media: “He knew he was being sought, and that’s why he moved between cities, which shows that he wasn’t afraid of being arrested.”
According to Krasovic, Da Silva said in his statement that he began killing at the age of 19.
The detective said: “He couldn’t handle hearing ‘no’.” He believes Da Silva shows traits of psychopathy.
So far, according to Krasovic, there is no evidence of a financial motive.
The case remains under investigation, and the police in Sao Bernardo do Campo are urging people with relevant information about Da Silva to get in touch.
