Brazil police say they arrested man who confessed to 39 murders; Lawyer says man is innocent

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian police say they've captured a man who has confessed to 39 murders.

But the man's lawyer says his client was coerced into confessing crimes he didn't commit.

Investigator Norton Ferreira in the city of Goiania says Thursday that police linked a gun found in the home of suspect Tiago Rocha to the killings of at least six women this year.

Ferreira says that since his arrest Thursday, the 26-year-old Rocha has confessed to at least 33 other murders in the country's Midwest dating back to early 2013, including several other young women and some homeless people.

Lawyer Thiago Vidal tells the Folha de S.Pauo newspaper that his client confessed to crimes he didn't commit under aggressive questioning.