Brazilian police have captured a man who has confessed to 39 murders. Tiago Henrique Gomes da Rocha, 26, was arrested on Tuesday after being pulled over in the city of Goiania.

According to the Daily Mail, local police found he was already facing trial for stealing a motorcycle's license plate in January. He was stopped while riding around with fake plates on the motorcycle he is said to have used during the murders.

A day after the arrest, Rocha confessed to killing 39 people: young women, prostitutes and random people he thought to be either gay or homeless. The confessed killer had a method of murder: He stabbed prostitutes, homeless men were shot, people he thought were gay he choked, and young women he would shoot in the chest.

Rocha began killing in 2011, first singling out homeless people, gays, and prostitutes. He started off killing only men, but this year turned his attention toward young women. By his count, he has killed 15 females, ranging in ages from 14 to 29.

According to Associated Press, Rocha’s lawyer claims that his client was coerced into confessing to crimes he did not commit.

Rocha's family described him to the Brazilian media conglomerate Grupo Folha as a quiet young man with few friends who hardly ever went out to social events at night. He lived with his mother and brother and never knew his dad. Furthermore, Rocha was molested by a neighbor at the age of 11 years old.

After graduating from high school he worked for a couple of years in a private security firm where police believe he stole a .38-caliber gun which he later used for the murders.

For the last four months, Rocha has worked as a night security man in a large hospital in Goiania. Rocha was apparently involved in a romantic relationship with a church-going girl who looked strikingly similar to the other women he had killed.

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