By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-06 16:35:47 | Updated at 2026-08-06 19:27:48
3 hours ago
A naked man arrested at the scene of a stabbing in a Long Island City luxury apartment building may have been someone the victim met on social media for a sexual liaison, sources told The Post.
Bretford Brewer, 36, of Brooklyn, was arrested at the scene of the Aug. 1 slaying after cops responded to the Hayden high-rise building in Queens just before 1 p.m. and found him naked with a fire extinguisher — spraying security cameras and attempting to break into an apartment, law-enforcement sources said.
He was charged Wednesday with murder and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the killing of 36-year-old Carlos Penzo, whom cops found sitting up in his blood-splattered bathtub with multiple stab wounds to his head, face and chest.
Sources said a knife and a taser were found lying in the slain man’s lap.
It was not immediately clear how the two men knew each other, but a source said it appears the victim may have met Brewer on social media for a hookup, and that a verbal argument preceded the homicide.
The posh apartment building where the brutal murder took place is within a 51-unit structure in Court Square, where two-bedroom units rent for upwards of $6,000 per month.
The horrific crime comes as the city marked the fewest number of murders in the first six months of the year ever recorded, with 122 homicides recorded across the five boroughs through the end of June, shattering the previous record of 136 set in 2017.
