3 Arrested in Murder and Mutilation of Arizona Gay Man

Three men have been arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of gay man Bernardo Pantaleon, whose mutilated body was found November 26 in a park in Phoenix.

Jose Rodriguez, 20, Leonardo Santiago, 21, and Manuel Carrasco-Calderon, also 21, were arrested Sunday, The Arizona Republic reports. Each is charged with one murder count, plus crimes against the dead and assisting a street gang, according to the paper. The suspects have all confessed to killing Pantaleon, the Republic reports.

Pantaleon’s body was discovered by a passerby at Phoenix’s Mountain View Park, the local CBS affiliate reports. He had been shot multiple times as well as beaten, and his body had been mutilated, with wounds to his head, neck, and torso, his family told the station. He was naked when found, his relatives said. Photos of his brutalized body were sent to them, and at least one was posted to Instagram, they said. Social media accounts led police to the suspects, the station reports.

Pantaleon’s relatives said they believe he was targeted for being gay. After his death, there were posts on social media cheering the crime and saying homosexuality wasn’t allowed in certain parts of Phoenix, the CBS affiliate reports.

Arizona’s hate-crimes law covers crimes motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity, but it doesn’t provide for a separate hate-crime charge, an earlier Republicarticle notes. Instead, if a judge or jury finds a crime was motivated by bias, it can result in enhancement of the sentence.

Pictured: Bernardo Pantaleon