Few Death Sentences Given In Luzerne County

There's an interesting article in Sunday's Citizens Voice that highlights just how difficult it's been to get a jury to sentence someone to death.

Though the CV story does not reference Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes directly, it's still a good read since the DA will have to make the decision by this Thursday ... whether they plan to seek the death penalty for the two accused of murdering Bryan Kocis... or not.

"Only five convicted murderers in Luzerne County were sentenced to death since 1975. Two of the five sentences were reversed.

No jury has imposed the death penalty during District Attorney David Lupas' eight years in office."

-PC

Rumor Control: Those Greedy Lawyers

Update (09/29/07): The Times Leader has picked up the story of the sale of NME.

The latest round of rumors coming out of the Kocis-case blogosphere pits the stout-hearted duo Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes against none other than their own attorneys— characterizing the latter as base, money-hungry, deadline-setting Bad Men.

The story purportedly goes like this: Suddenly, lawyers Bill Ruzzo and the Nocito team are demanding $150,000... pay up in six days or the altogether heartless crowd of them will withdraw from the case en masse.

Further, because of this, Joe and Harlow are reportedly being forced to sell off Norfolk Male Escorts (NME) lock, stock, and client list.

Okay, let’s forget for a moment that hitherto we were told that there was no “little black book.”



Sure, let’s seriously entertain the latest prospect for a spell. What assets would a buyer, you know, be buying? A name that googles to a murder? A big barrel of condoms? How about the immediate attention of the Virginia Commonwealth Attorney’s office? Pray, what is the going rate for guaranteeing oneself a state prosecution?

Nay, what we are meant to take from this twaddle is that the bidding shall be between someone who wishes to publicize the client list and some former client who doesn’t want to be known. Okay. So... the hoped-for sale is blackmail?

Goodness, are we now to believe that Harlow and Joe are masterminding yet more crimes from behind bars? They’re impulsive scamps, the pair of them, but are we ready to call them quite that stupid? What a rude suggestion.

But, just a second. What about this abrupt lawyerly call for cash that’s supposedly at the base of the whole thing?

Defense attorneys are not imbeciles. Before accepting a retainer, they make it their business to find out what resources their clients have to put toward the case. Bill Ruzzo and the Nocitos almost certainly knew at the outset about how much they’d get out of this case. Are we to believe that they’ve suddenly (and simultaneously, no less) become greedy beyond all realistic measure? Bad attorney, bad!

And if the lawyers have actually made these demands in such an unexpected way, why would Harlow and Joe want to keep them? What’s to stop the mean, old lawyers from demanding yet more money at some crucial juncture during the trial? These are the guys you want on your side?

None of it makes any sense. And so it makes us wonder after it.

It’s almost as if those running Harlow and Joe’s blogs are absolutely intent on letting us know that Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes don’t have much input about what gets posted. Worse, it makes one skeptical about whether any of it is true.

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

Formal Arraignment Has Been Continued

According to the latest court docket update on 09/26/07... the formal arraignment for murder suspects Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes has been continued to 10/4/07 at 1:30 PM.

- PC

A Creditor Comes Knocking...

Chase Bank has filed a civil suit against Harlow Cuadra in Virginia Beach Circuit Court. This would be for a credit card Harlow had with a balance of over $55,000 according to public records.

Should Chase Bank win, which will be most probable, the first thing they'll likely do is request a lien be placed on the currently for sale Stratem Court residence, still owned by Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes.

Update (09/29/07 @ 10 PM) - Harlow actually has two Chase credit card accounts totalling over $174,000 owed.

-PC

The Damon Kruezer Problem...

Up til now, this blog has tried to be all things to all people, seeking to provide a fair-minded venue for all honest opinions regarding the prosecution of Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes in the Bryan Kocis case.

We’ve hit a snag, and its name is Damon Kruezer.

We’ve tried to treat this divisive character in an equitable fashion. That hasn’t worked very well. For our trouble, we’ve gotten nothing but messages of self-aggrandizement and baseless innuendo.

So, in what we hope is a forgivable spasm of authority under the circumstances, we are once again putting a full ban on this fellow, his myriad of sock-puppets, any mention of his name, and yes, even coy allusions to him like “unmentioned one” or “you know who.”

We do it reluctantly, but with no other choice before us. If you wish to talk about Mr. Kruezer, please do it elsewhere.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

- PC & KM

Is Harlow Cuadra's Blog Doomed?

For the past two days or so, anyone trying to access Harlow Cuadra's blog has likely been met with that dreaded error message: "the webpage cannot be found".

Is this the secret work of men in dark suits, or caused by the advice of others... most likely not. In reality it appears to be nothing more than some HTML re-direct coding errors overlooked by the webmaster:

The last piece of code is missing a closing mark ">" ... and "url=/blog" should be the full web address... example: http://www.whateversite.com/blog

I think it's safe to assume that Harlow's blog will be back online, once these errors are eventually fixed.

- PC

As If More Debunking Was Required...

One of the blogs that was unintentionally instrumental in the spread of that tale that sought to connect the Florida double-murder/suicide at Ralph Gonzales’ home to the Bryan Kocis case has added a new disclaimer that all but retracts the original story.

Crimeblog now says, “No clear, direct connection has ever been truly drawn between [Harlow] Cuadra and [Joe] Kerekes and Jason Drake.”

Since most of the other blogs that repeated the untrue allegations quoted the original Crimeblog post (adding no new evidence of a link), the disclaimer speaks for itself.

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

Truth For Sale?

From what we’ve seen of the Kocis case thus far, Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes are nothing if not unique murder suspects. I mean, how many accused killers have blogs that purport to convey their captive thoughts before a jury has even been selected?

Now the duo from Virginia Beach has reinvented the role of Defendant once again.

An online auction has been announced: highest bidder scores “a 45 minute exclusive interview at Luzerne County with Joe Kerekes and At Lackawana County [sic.] with Harlow, you will receive 45 minutes with each of them. Remember come prepared with as many questions as you want answered....”



Never mind that attorneys for Harlow and Joe have already put the kibosh on further interviews (after the particularly... err... cogent one Kerekes gave to Times-Leader reporter Ed Lewis before Kerekes had retained Pennsylvania counsel.)

Never mind that legitimate news organs don’t pay for interviews, so Harlow and Joe are opening themselves up to flagrant misquotes and similar shenanigans from the bottom-feeding denizens rampant in the world of pseudo-journalism.

Never mind that the proceeds of this newest auction (and all the others) are likely to be seized by a civil court should Kocis’ family choose to sue (if Harlow and Joe are convicted in these crimes. )

Never mind all that. The boys behind bars have apparently found a way to scrape up some cash... by serving up themselves.

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

More Local Reaction to National Media Attention

The Times Leader reports that "the Sept. 20 issue of Rolling Stone, and the October issue of OUT, a magazine for gay men, focus on the relationship between Sean Lockhart and [Bryan] Kocis, and rely heavily upon blog sites that cater to pornography, court records and the local media.

"A clerk at the Anthracite Newsstand, Public Square, said they sell three or four copies of Rolling Stone each week with the last copy being purchased by the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday.

"Both magazines feature photos of Kocis, Lockhart and two men – Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes – who are accused in the January slaying of Kocis."

Repercussions At Home

By all accounts, Joseph Kerekes' parents have treated him and Harlow Cuadra well— ladling out acceptance at the very beginning of Harlow's and Joe's partnership, right through to organizing a legal defense fund immediately upon their arrest in the Bryan Kocis murder.

Unfortunately, those arrests are still causing ever-widening consequences in Fred and Rosalie Kerekes' lives. Virginia Beach land records show that the Kerekes parents have sold their Dandelion Crescent home, and the deal was made just a day after Harlow and Joe were extradited to Pennsylvania.



They lived in the house since 1986, and the public record does not show them purchasing another piece of real estate since the July sale of the Dandelion Crescent property.

Now, it's certainly possible that the timing of the sale was a coincidence— land records don't show how long a house was on the market before a buyer was found. But any curious person could be excused for wondering whether the sale was an attempt to help fund Joe's defense, at least in part.

If the latter prospect turns out to be the true one, the loyalty of Fred and Rosalie Kerekes is to be highly commended, regardless of any other opinions one holds about the Kocis case in full.

However, one source close to the media's scrutiny of the case posits another, uglier reason for the sale, saying that some of the Kerekes' neighbors have been less than kind regarding Joe's legal predicament, thus inducing the Kerekes' family to leave.

Yes, frustratingly enough, it's info from yet another source speaking on condition of anonymity—one proven reliable up to now—but anonymous nonetheless. So, of course, it's up to you to decide which house-sale scenario is the more likely.

- Both PC and KM contributed to this story

Rumor Control: Debunked

A few words on the latest conspiracy theory about the Kocis case: you know, the one that gained initial steam with a post last month on Crimeblog? It was an entry that was then updated and purported to kinda-sorta, maybe-almost, halfway-perhaps link the recent double-murder/suicide at GOP strategist Ralph Gonzales’ Orlando home (seen above) to Harlow Cuadra, Joe Kerekes and the murder of Bryan Kocis.

We never expected the thing to last more than a couple of days. I mean, even the blogger who runs the Crimeblog site called the ruminations “highly speculative,” warning readers to “[t]ake much of [it].... with a grain of salt, and... consider some of the sources I’ve cited with a healthy dose of skepticism.”

But, to the abject dismay of all of us who knew better, it became the story that would not die.

The gay-politico blogs picked it up. It went from 'lifestyler' blogs like Towelroad to eensy, wee local Florida blogs, and finally to national sites like Americablog. Also, here, here, here, here, and elsewhere.

Nothing was proven; precious little new information was added as it passed from hand to hand. Nevertheless, The Little Lie That Could (But Shouldn't) forged ever onward.

What to think of such goings-on?

In our opinion, the evidence for a connection between the Kocis case and the Gonzales (seen above) murders is all but nonexistent. Harlow and Joe lived in Virginia Beach for the entire time that this bogus story puts them in the Orlando area. The places, people and events vital to the veracity of this deadly connection just don't mesh.

Worse, those of you who follow the Kocis case know where the wild story came from: it originally fell into Crimeblog’s lap via comments from a fabricated Internet character, ‘Zenoble.’

Given sourcing like that and its outlandish claims, the story sure reads like nothing more than the newest adjunct to the ever-present and ongoing conspiracy ravings that perpetually surround the death of Bryan Kocis.

Juicy as it would be to hook vile, gay Republican demons to the Kocis case (such a temptation!), alas, it just ain’t so.

But whether true, false or inconclusive, the story is most of all beside the point. Were every one of its obvious confabulations proven beyond a scintilla of doubt, it’s hard to see any effect they would have on the outcome of Cuadra’s and Kerekes’ trial.

That being so, we fully expect this entry to be both the first and the last discussion of the Florida fable’s merits to be found on this blog. One can only hope these tawdry falsehoods can die a natural death... the kind of demise that comes from readers’ realizations that they’ve been had.

And let’s hope those realizations come soon.

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

The Facts According to OUT...

The OUT article is, well... out, and like the story from Rolling Stone, it imparts new information. Some of it merely confirms what others (including PC and myself) have reported, and some of it is never-before-seen.

The Beginnings... Bryan & Sean & Grant:

—Early on, Sean Lockhart and Bryan Kocis chatted online for quite awhile. Bryan was charming; Sean admits to a bit of a crush.

—When he went to work for Bryan, Sean says he altered his birth certificate and his drivers’ license with Photoshop.

—Bryan was apparently worried about Sean’s real age as early as their second video shoot together.

—The idea to launch something like Brent Corrigan, Inc. arose quite promptly, as soon as Grant Roy and Sean's exclusive relationship began.

—During the summer of 2004, Bryan tried to talk Sean into going to a local college in Wilkes-Barre.

—Robert Wagner says Sean cheated on Grant with a stranger in New York City during the summer of 2004. Bryan felt betrayed by the same act.

Harlow & Joe... the Early Years:

—Harlow Cuadra grew up in Florida and South Carolina. He was estranged from his family until his arrest.

—Joe Kerekes' temper got him kicked out of the church and the Marines.

—Joe met Harlow in a Yahoo chat room, while Harlow was still in the Navy and still in the closet. This was 7 years ago. Both were in Virginia Beach, and remained in the area from then onward.

—Joe was already an escort when the pair met. He enticed Harlow into the work.

—Joe's abs are the fruits of liposuction.

—Joe's father confirms that Harlow’s and Joe’s debt was out of control at the time of the murder. He says it approached $1 million.

—Joe’s family was friendly, despite his and Harlow’s occupation: “Mom cleaned their house, cooked for them, and ran their errands.”

—Joe’s father helped remodel the Stratem Court house to make it a better brothel, installing what Joe’s mother coyly describes as “a super-duper shower. You could put 10 people in there."

When Grant & Sean met Harlow & Joe:

—At Le Cirque, when Harlow and Joe mentioned sending Bryan “to Canada,” Grant actually mentioned aloud the prospect that he and Sean would be immediate suspects in any killing, ruling out the idea.

—After that meeting, the harassment of Sean and Grant by Harlow and Joe (about their ‘deal’) began almost immediately.

—In this version of events, both Sean and Grant wore a wire on Black’s Beach.

There is no stunning new information about the circumstances of the murder in the OUT piece, nor is there much about the legal situation. That’s hardly surprising, as no one was likely to want to talk about a pending case.

So there it is... the OUT story. Have at it.

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

Locals Take Notice of National Media Interest

Citizens' Voice: "The murder of Dallas Township pornography producer Bryan Kocis has been picked up by Rolling Stone, and more coverage of the complex case will be forthcoming from other national magazines. [...] [The RS reporter] ...interviewed Lockhart, better known by his stage name Brent Corrigan, about his stormy relationship with Kocis and how he came to know [Harlow] Cuadra and [Joseph] Kerekes."

-KM

A Pack of Lawyers & One Good Cop

Thumbnail sketches from a Luzerne county source with extensive knowledge of the Bryan Kocis case, and confirmed to have many years of up-close courthouse experience:

“William Ruzzo [Harlow Cuadra’s main attorney] is an excellent defense and trial lawyer. You can almost guarantee that he will pick huge holes in the investigation. And Thomas Cometa [Harlow’s other attorney] is known as a defense lawyer for those accused of arson.

“[However], the lead investigator on the case, State Police Cpl. Leo Hannon, is excellent. He's the type that crosses his T's and dots his I's before filing criminal complaints against a suspect. He's been involved in more than 100 homicide cases. Some were high profile. So knowing Hannon and his reputation, Ruzzo will have it tough.

“Joe and Frank Nocito [Joe Kerekes' attorney team] are known as plea-bargain lawyers. ...I've never seen them in action during trial.”

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

Shall It Be Life, or Death?

Harlow Cuadra’s and Joe Kerekes’ Formal Arraignment in the Bryan Kocis murder case will largely be just that, a formality.

But at that October 1st hearing, one dreadfully important scrap of information will be imparted: the DA’s office will notify the defendants (and announce to the court) whether or not the State will seek the death penalty.

After the magistrate dropped Burglary and Conspiracy to Commit Burglary charges at last month’s Preliminary Hearing, there was abundant rejoicing in some circles. The hope there was that the death penalty must now be ‘off the table.’

Indeed, removing those charges reduced the number of ‘aggravating factors’ that are taken into legal account in deciding whether or not the accused shall literally be on trial for their lives. But some of the charges that remain on the indictment are aggravating factors themselves... so, we won’t know exactly what the DA has planned for Harlow and Joe until he tells us on the first of next month.

-KM

Mutual Antipathy

The luck of the draw may have handed Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes a potent hole-card in their upcoming trial for the murder of Bryan Kocis: the strained relationship between the judge and the Luzerne County DA's office.

Common Pleas Court Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. is slated to preside over Cuadra’s and Kerekes formal arraignment in October. That means he’s likely to be the trial judge for the entire case.

And plenty of court observers intimate that Judge Olszewski has a problem with the Luzerne County DA’s office, not to mention with DA David Lupas (seen below) himself-- and vice versa. That may or may not be so, but nearly everyone in the courthouse can agree that the Judge and the District Attorney have been sharply at odds since at least 2003.

The fierce animus stems from the capital murder case of one Hugo Selenski .

Early in that case, Olszewski threw out Escape charges because the DA's office missed a deadline for including them in the indictment. Then came a ruling by Olszewski on a statement by Selenski that police said confirmed Selenski’s guilt. Suffice to say, there were Miranda issues, the statement got tossed, and the DA’s office chose to appeal the exclusion, mid-trial.

Prosecutors lost that appeal, Selenski was acquitted of murder charges, and the fight was on. It’s a battle that’s been quietly going on ever since.

Understand, these guys are all lawyers, so no one in either camp is accusing anyone else of misconduct, but it is clear that these two people really don’t like one another. Just how that palpable dislike plays out in court in the Kocis case is anyone’s guess, but it can't be bad news for Harlow and Joe.

-KM

New Court Date

Citizens' Voice: "The suspects in the murder of a Dallas Township pornography producer [Bryan Kocis] will be formally arraigned Oct. 1 in Luzerne County Court at 9:15 a.m. in front of Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr.

"At that time, Harlow Cuadra, 26, and Joseph Kerekes, 33, will be able to enter a plea. A status conference in the case will then be held."

The Facts According to Rolling Stone

This week's Rolling Stone article does make some new claims, but simultaneously avoids other topics of interest. Overall, the piece seems to be a game attempt at telling Sean Lockhart’s story, even if in so doing a few things get glossed over.

First, in with a collection of the new:

--Fresh details are provided to describe the summer of 2004 that saw Sean living with Kocis in Dallas. Sean claims he was alternately assigned menial tasks around the house, and compelled into three-ways with other twinks and Kocis.

--Porn actor Caleb Carter says that, before the murder, he once heard Grant Roy remark that perhaps what they needed was ‘a cleaner’ to end the dispute with Bryan Kocis. Carter took that to mean a hit-man. To that, Lockhart reportedly said, “Grant, don’t talk about things like that with people we barely know.”

--At a time when Grant and Sean were in a dispute with partner Lee Bergeron, Grant Roy is said to have driven up the alley behind Lee Bergeron’s house late one night, shouting threats. Bergeron reportedly increased security because of the incident.

--Sean says that his first impression of Harlow Cuadra (at Le Cirque) was that Cuadra was “silly and immature.”

--After the murder, Sean says he was so depressed and isolated that he contemplated suicide more than once.

--It was Grant Roy, not Sean Lockhart who wore a wire that day on Black’s Beach.

--Both Lockhart and Harlow say separately that they’re less than proud of their work in porn (and/or escorting), in sharp contrast to their public personae.

Now, the article leaves the reader with many questions, as well as curious about which facts were checked and which were taken at face value. In other words, a great deal seems glossed over.

To wit:

--Harlow Cuadra’s Navy background and the dashing circumstances of his separation from the service are presented only in a self-serving quote from Cuadra himself. One is left to wonder if the facts were verified.

--The incident wherein Sean Lockhart dropped his (under)age bomb on Cobra video is treated very cursorily in the article, without inquiry into what he hoped to accomplish in doing it. Whether Sean considered it his only chance to escape from Bryan Kocis’ influence, or whether he was after the destruction of Cobra Video, the article is strangely silent on the motivation behind the act.

--Sean Lockhart is characterized as being a ‘free agent’ in the wake of the settlement with Cobra, before Kocis’ death. We all know that’s not precisely true.

And finally,

--The circumstances of the decision by Sean and Grant to inform on Harlow and Joe— to contact police, to wear a wire, to entice the Virginia Beach duo into a confession— are entirely (and conspicuously) missing from the story.

All in all, then, the Rolling Stone story has its flaws and its seeming revelations... like any news story. So we can take it for what it’s worth.

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

OUT and The Rolling Stone Story

Apparently, the OUT article on the Bryan Kocis killing has now been released. We haven't seen it yet, but reader first impressions can be found here. (Hat tip: Jim.)

One blog seems to have gotten hold of the Rolling Stone story. Reactions to it (and comments that do not conceal resentment harbored toward our blog) can be read here.

-KM

The Pennsylvania Chainsaw Massacre

The best Defense case is almost always the simplest one, and no doubt that’s the one that Harlow Cuadra’s and Joe Kerekes’ lawyers have planned. But the facts in evidence may not cooperate with that scheme.

Texas defense attorney Mark Bennett sums things up quite succinctly. ‘When you have a criminal case to defend, every piece of evidence will fall into one of three categories:

-Things you contest (“no...”);

-Things you explain (“yes, but...."); and

-Things you accept ("[but...] so what?”).’

In the Kocis case, there are plenty of things the Defense can accept (or will be forced to accept). Here are a few of those:

-The gun shop tape shows what it shows (but, so what?);

-Harlow’s Discover card shows the pair rented that SUV (but, so what?)

-Someone at Joe’s and Harlow’s house sent those early ‘Danny Moulin’ emails from IP addresses assigned to Harlow’s account (but, so what?)

-That background check on Bryan Kocis was purchased online using Harlow’s credit card (but, so what?); and,

-Harlow and Joe were deep in debt (but, again, so what?)

You get the idea.

Now, there does come a point at which letting too much evidence like that go by undisputed has the Defense helping make the circumstantial case against Harlow and Joe. That’s when their attorneys will have to start explaining things. For example:

-The Black’s Beach tape says what it says (but Harlow and Joe were just talking big... they weren’t serious.)

-Joe did tell a Times Leader reporter that Harlow was at the murder scene (but, at the time, he was just angry about hurtful things said on Harlow’s blog.)

-Justin Hensley says that Harlow and Joe saw Cobra as their main rival (but there are dozens of similar companies, and none of their head honchos got killed.)

-Grant Roy has all kinds of incriminating things to say about Harlow and Joe (but Roy and Sean Lockhart are obvious suspects themselves.)

...and so on. The arguments may be strong or weak, but they’ll have to be made.

Which brings us to the tough stuff; the accusations that the Defense just has to vociferously contest or flatly deny:

-Authorities say that the camcorders found in Harlow's and Joe's house might have belonged to Kocis... (no, the Defense must say, they're not the same camcorders.)

-The coroner says that the knife Harlow and Joe bought is likely the weapon that killed Kocis... (no, the Defense must say, that knife wasn’t ever out of its packaging.)

-Police say Harlow and Joe went to Kocis’ house to murder him... (no, the Defense is almost forced to argue, they may have been nearby but neither of them were ever in that house.)

Of course, as attorney Bennett also points out, “[e]very contest... [every outright denial] and every explanation, however, complicates your case. Complicating your case is not desirable...."

Bennett calls the concept “Bennett’s Chainsaw,” and it’s a variation on the famous Occam’s Razor idea.

It goes like this: “The more things you must contest and the more explanations you must provide in order to mount a defense, the more likely it is that you will be convicted.”

-Both PC and KM contributed to this story.

The Press Stirs

Journalist Benjamin Wallace has just begun work on a feature story recounting the incongruous life and bizarre death of Bryan Kocis, with special emphasis on the sometimes sordid world of bareback, twink porn. The patent strangeness of all of these events taking place in Luzerne county is sure to get high billing, as well.

The piece is set to run in Philadelphia magazine sometime this Fall.

Wallace started interviews last week, seeking info about last January’s crimes and the gay community’s reaction to them. Alongside, Wallace has been gauging the gay media’s seeming indifference to what has become a real-life whodunit in the gay blogosphere.

The Wallace story will join another, similar one by writer Michael Gross, slated for the October issue of OUT.

[In the interests of full disclosure: KM was interviewed for the Philadelphia piece, while PC fielded questions from the journalist for OUT.]

Harlow and Joe's House (Redux II)

So, Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes list their house on August 18, 2007 for $679k. It doesn't sell for a couple of weeks. Then, around September 3, the agent must have said: "You need a reduction! That gets a potential buyer's attention every time!" So what did the guys do? Raise the price of course! Probably so that they could later lower it back to $679k and advertise it as: "price reduced".

Asking Price Increase: 09/03/07 -- $679,000 to $699,000

Well, it certainly got my attention... guess we'll see what happens.

- PC