Police have arrested the alleged killer of a young homosexual man, whose body was found last week cut up  in pieces and burned in Barrio Guavate in Cayey in what appeared to be a hate crime.

Police spokesman Wilson Porrata said the 26-year old unemployed man, identified as Juan A. Martinez, was arrested at Barrio Mogote in Cayey. Porrata said police seized two vehicles and were trying to determine if a house in Barrio Beatriz in Cidra was the scene of the crime.

The man, who was with his father, did not resist arrest.

Prosecutor Jose Bermudez said Martinez has confessed to the killing.
Jorge Steven López, 19, was found in a wooded area of Cayey and his body had been cut up and burned. The young man was well-known in the homosexual community and gay rights activists have contended he may have been the victim of a hate crime.

Gay rights activist Pedro Julio Serrano said that while the suspect has a presumption of innocence, he hopes his arrest is the first step in solving this murder. “We trust the police investigation will reveal if this crime was committed because of Jorge Steven's sexual orientation and if that is the case, this crime should be processed as a hate crime,” he said.

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