The Times Leader is reporting that homicide suspect Joseph Kerekes might call witnesses to say he was at a Plains Township hotel when Bryan Kocis was being killed miles away inside his Dallas Township home, according to court papers.
Attorneys for Kerekes filed the notice of possible alibi defense, as required by law, Wednesday morning.
The court papers indicate Kerekes might present a defense that shows he was inside room 211 of the Fox Ridge Hotel on state Route 315 at the time of the slaying.
His attorneys, Mark Bufalino, John Pike, and Shelley Centini, said they have witnesses they might call to support that claim. Those witnesses are Matthew Brannon, of North Carolina, and representatives from Yahoo Inc., Verizon Wireless, MSN Hotmail, and Sprint/Nextel.
The attorneys also filed a number of pre-trial motions Wednesday. Those motions contain requests to move the trial out of Luzerne County, have separate trial for Kerekes and co-defendant Harlow Cuadra, and prevent the prosecutors from using any statements Kerekes made to police, the contents of any conversations recorded at a California beach, and the contents of any evidence seized from Kerekes' e-mail account and Virginia home.
Attorneys for Kerekes filed the notice of possible alibi defense, as required by law, Wednesday morning.
The court papers indicate Kerekes might present a defense that shows he was inside room 211 of the Fox Ridge Hotel on state Route 315 at the time of the slaying.
His attorneys, Mark Bufalino, John Pike, and Shelley Centini, said they have witnesses they might call to support that claim. Those witnesses are Matthew Brannon, of North Carolina, and representatives from Yahoo Inc., Verizon Wireless, MSN Hotmail, and Sprint/Nextel.
The attorneys also filed a number of pre-trial motions Wednesday. Those motions contain requests to move the trial out of Luzerne County, have separate trial for Kerekes and co-defendant Harlow Cuadra, and prevent the prosecutors from using any statements Kerekes made to police, the contents of any conversations recorded at a California beach, and the contents of any evidence seized from Kerekes' e-mail account and Virginia home.
Update @ 3:47 PM: The Citizen's Voice also picks up the story... pretty much saying the same things, with a few more details:
Joseph Kerekes wasn't in the Back Mountain when Bryan Kocis was murdered in his Dallas home, according to a possible alibi defense Kerekes' attorneys filed Wednesday in the Luzerne County Courthouse.
Kerekes was at the Fox Ridge Hotel in Plains Township when the murder occurred and has as many six witnesses to verify his claims, according to the notice.
Mark Bufalino and Kerekes' other attorneys filed the alibi notice and several other motions Wednesday, including a change of venue request.
Luzerne County cannot pull an impartial jury because of the "extensive, inflammatory, sensational" pre-trial publicity in local newspapers and television.
Kerekes was at the Fox Ridge Hotel in Plains Township when the murder occurred and has as many six witnesses to verify his claims, according to the notice.
Mark Bufalino and Kerekes' other attorneys filed the alibi notice and several other motions Wednesday, including a change of venue request.
Luzerne County cannot pull an impartial jury because of the "extensive, inflammatory, sensational" pre-trial publicity in local newspapers and television.
