Brazilian police announced Thursday that they had captured a man who confessed to 39 murders.

The man's lawyer said his client was coerced into confessing crimes he didn't commit.

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

Ferreira said that since being arrested Tuesday, the 26-year-old Rocha had confessed to at least 33 other killings in the country's Midwest dating back to early 2013, including several other young women and some homeless people.

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