The Paturis Park murders are a series of 13 murders of gay men between February 2007 and August 2008. The murders took place in Paturis Park ("Parque dos Paturis") in Carapicuíba, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 and perpertrated by an unknown killer 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 ages 20–40. All but one were shot, 11 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. Police dubbed the killer the "Rainbow Maniac", a reference to the gay pride flag.

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 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.