Gay Professor Shot Dead, Left In Burning Car In Heinous Killing In Brazil

Three suspects have been apprehended by law enforcement following the brutal murder of a young gay teacher and activist in Brazil, according to local police.

The charred remains of LGBTQ activist and professor Lindolfo Kosmaski, 25, was found with gunshot wounds along PR-151 road in São João do Triunfo in the southern state of Paraná on May 1, Brazil de Fato reported. He was reportedly shot twice while tied down with ropes and left inside his burning vehicle.

Hours before his death, Kosmaski was last spotted in a bar in Coxilhão where he paid for a round of beer before he suddenly disappeared, leaving his cell phone at the establishment, according to his cousin Benedito Camargo.

Kosmaski's remains were found in the blazing car early the next day. He was shot twice before being left for dead, according to police, who are yet to conclude whether the esteemed figure died from his gunshot wounds or the fire.

A week after Kosmaski's death on May 7, police captured three suspects, aged between 20 and 39 years old, and found that all three were acquaintances of the victim.

An active participant in the Landless LGBT Collective and the Agroecology Days, Kosmaski allegedly became a target of a hate crime, according to local LGBTQ community members. His family claimed that Kosmaski received death threats days leading up to his murder.

A detailed probe on the matter is now underway as authorities look for a motive behind the heinous killing, according to Queerty.

“We will have several other stages of data analysis, which is a more technological stage, to bring together all the elements necessary to hold those responsible for this nefarious crime to account,” Michel Leite Pereira da Silva, who leads the case, told local media.

In a statement, the Brazilian Landless Rural Workers' Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra, MST) mourned the death of the beloved member, calling on authorities to serve justice in what they believed was an act motivated by homophobia.

“At this painful time, the MST stands in solidarity with Lindolfo Kosmaski's family and friends, and demands that the appropriate entities move quickly to investigate and find those responsible for this heinous crime,” the statement read.

The movement went further to note that they are committed to fighting for a society "without LGBTphobia," where all types of love are respected and protected. LGBT blood is also Landless blood, it said.

Kosmaski had been an active voice of the MST, aiming to uplift the rural poor. He was regularly present at the Contestado settlement, in the city of Lapa, Paraná, where he pursued a degree in Education in the Countryside at the Latin American School of Agroecology.

The son of two peasants, Kosmaski ran as a candidate to the City Council of São João do Triunfo on the Workers' Party ticket in 2020 but failed to secure enough votes to snag the seat.

Despite the election loss, the poll saw a growing presence of LGBTQ activists from the most diverse political parties, PinkNews reported.