Man arrested naked after stabbing in Queens luxury high-rise, possible social-media hookup

Police detained a naked suspect at a Queens apartment building where 36-year-old Carlos Penzo was found stabbed to death, and investigators say the victim may have arranged the encounter through social media.

On the afternoon of Aug. 1, police were called to the Hayden high-rise in Long Island City, Queens, where they found Carlos Penzo, 36, lying in a blood-stained bathtub with several stab wounds to his head, face and chest. A naked man, identified as Bretford Brewer, 36, of Brooklyn, was apprehended at the scene after he sprayed a fire extinguisher at security cameras and attempted to break into a neighboring unit. Brewer faces murder and unlawful weapon possession charges, with a knife and a taser recovered from Penzo’s lap.

Investigators say the two men appear to have connected via a social-media platform to arrange a sexual encounter, and a heated argument preceded the fatal attack. The incident occurred in a 51-unit luxury building at Court Square, where two-bedroom apartments rent for upwards of $6,000 per month. The murder comes as New York City recorded its lowest homicide total for the first half of the year, with 122 killings citywide through June.