Transcripts Filed in Kocis Probe

The Times Leader is reporting that adult-film producer Grant Roy was reluctant about doing business with Joseph Kerekes and Harlow Cuadra.

Kerekes told Roy he understood his anxiety, telling the producer that he couldn’t talk because he was worried Roy was wearing a wire. Shortly after making that statement, Kerekes laughed.

A transcript of the conversation that also involved Cuadra and gay porn actor Sean Lockhart was filed by prosecutors in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas on Monday.

The conversation among the four men was recorded at a restaurant called Crabcatchers outside San Diego, Calif., on April 27, 2007. Investigators with the state police at Wyoming, Dallas Township police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office placed a recording device on Roy prior to the dinner with Cuadra and Kerekes. Roy also wore a recording device the next day when the four men visited a nude beach near San Diego.

At the time of the recordings, Cuadra, 26, and Kerekes, 34, were suspects in the January 2007 slaying of gay film producer Bryan Kocis in Dallas Township. Less than three weeks later, investigators charged the two men with Kocis’ murder.

Investigators said Cuadra and Kerekes, both from Virginia Beach, Va., made several admissions during the recorded conversations about the homicide and the way Kocis was killed, according to arrest records.

Prosecutors allege in arrest records that Cuadra and Kerekes considered Kocis their main rival in the gay porn industry. They wanted to work with Lockhart, who was under contract with Kocis’ company, Cobra Video, arrest records indicate.

Attorneys for Cuadra and Kerekes are seeking to prohibit prosecutors from using the recorded statements at trial set to begin with jury selection on Sept. 2. They will make their arguments during a pre-trial hearing today before county Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr.

According to the transcript of the conversation at the restaurant, Kerekes was pushing Roy into allowing Lockhart to work with Cuadra in several pornographic movies. Kerekes discussed ways to pay Roy and Lockhart royalty fees under the table to avoid paying Kocis’ estate.

Roy was reluctant to begin filming, telling Kerekes and Cuadra he wanted to think about their plan.

Cuadra also discussed losing his filming equipment that was seized when authorities searched their Virginia Beach home on Feb. 10, 2007.

Lockhart said the publicity surrounding Kocis’ murder “ruined” his career. Kerekes apologized to Roy and Lockhart, “for hurting you guys and messing things up; I really do, I messed up our lives too,” the transcript says.

In an attempt to settle the concerns of Roy and Lockhart, Kerekes told them, according to the transcript, that authorities in Pennsylvania, put the investigation “on the back burner.”

Prosecutors are expected to call more than two dozen witnesses, including Roy and Lockhart, during today’s pre-trial hearing.

Live From Luzerne...

Just wanted to update everyone... I just got to Wilkes-Barre, and have checked-in to the hotel. More shortly. Due to me arriving later than expected, I won't have any documents related to Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes' case to report on until tomorrow.

Update @ 8:16 PM: With the first hearing starting tomorrow, and ending on Wednesday (both days are expected to be full days), I probably won't have much time to post the other stuff until I get back to Virginia - though it's probably just as well, as I wouldn't want to cause information overload. :)

If time permits, I'll try to have my first post about the hearing around 12-1 tomorrow afternoon, with a complete update at or around 6 PM... again, depending upon schedules.

Quick Update...

Just a quick update before I leave in the morning for Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes' pre-trial hearing... it would appear that some witnesses are already on their way to PA as I type this... and that certain 'alibi' witnesses may not be willing to testify on Joe's behalf as much as he thinks.

I'm going to try and post the Omnibus pre-trial motions response from the DA's office (Cuadra's) before I leave in the morning, but if I don't, expect to see it tomorrow evening, along with a few other gems.

Update @ 11:01 PM: Sources tell me that Sean Lockhart, Grant Roy, Renee Martin, and possibly two other individuals currently unknown at the moment, are now in Luzerne County for the upcoming hearing... ironically... they all apparently arrived on the same connecting flight this evening to AVP.

Kerekes Purchased Knife Hours Before Kocis was Killed

The Times Leader is reporting that homicide suspect Joseph Kerekes sought legal advice from an inmate while jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, according to an investigative report.

Kerekes, 34, told Robert Leo Rodden certain details about the slaying of adult gay film producer Bryan Kocis that were otherwise not known by the public, the report states.

According to the report, Kerekes told Rodden, 42, that he purchased a knife at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Wilkes-Barre Township. Investigators with the state police at Wyoming and Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office obtained a receipt from Wal-Mart showing that a knife had been purchased at the local store hours before Kocis, 44, was killed inside his Dallas Township home on Jan. 24, 2007.

The knife was one of four items purchased at the store, the receipt says.

Rodden, who is serving more than five years in state prison for a stabbing in Edwardsville in February 2007, is one of several people expected to testify at a pre-trial hearing before Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. on Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege in arrest records that Kerekes, and his partner, Harlow Cuadra, 26, both from Virginia Beach, Va., stabbed Kocis, their rival in the gay porn industry, and then set his Midland Drive home on fire.

Luzerne County Assistant District Attorneys Michael Melnick, Tim Doherty, Shannon Crake and William Dunn are seeking the death penalty. Jury selection is tentatively set to begin Sept. 2.

Cuadra’s attorneys, Paul Galante, Mike Senape and Steve Menn, are seeking separate trials for the two men as a result of Kerekes’ statements that implicate Cuadra in the killing, according to court records.

Kerekes maintained that he was inside a motel room at the Fox Ridge Inn in Plains Township while Cuadra, under the disguise of another name, drove to Kocis’ home, court records indicate. Cuadra attempted to set up his own alibi, according to court records, claiming he was working as a male escort and with a customer in a Virginia Beach hotel at the time Kocis was killed.

Cuadra’s lawyers are expected to ask the judge during Tuesday’s pre-trial hearing to prohibit prosecutors from using a conversation that was recorded on a nude beach near San Diego in April 2007.

There, investigators say in arrest records, Cuadra and Kerekes told Grant Roy and Sean Lockhart details about the actual killing. Roy is an adult film producer and Lockhart was a model for Kocis’ company, Cobra Video.

A day before the beach conversation was recorded, investigators also recorded a conversation the four men had at a San Diego restaurant where they discussed forming a partnership to produce pornographic movies.

Prosecutors are expected to file a transcript of the restaurant conversation in court on Monday.

Motions Hearing... Some Attendance Tips

With Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes' motions hearing begining this Tuesday, I figured I'd share the following information/tips for those of you that plan to attend... hopefully it'll answer some questions you might have.

Once in the courthouse, you'll want to go to the third floor, there will be someone at a podium directly in front of the elevator. That person will have the court schedules for all the judges that day and week. Just ask them where the Cuadra/Kerekes hearing is and they'll let you know.

I'm almost positive it will be in courtroom #2, it's easy to find. Get there a little early though, as PPO likes to start right on time. I wouldn't expect a line to get in, but in some cases, The sheriff has put additional security, on top of the courthouse security at the entrances, to scan people going in to the hearing. If they do, that could take a little longer and create a line. If that's not in place, you'll be able to walk right in and grab a seat. The front rows on each side will likely be closed for security issues.

Also, if there's any documents that you'd like to have copies of, the Clerk of Courts office is located on the second floor. There is a public access computer as soon as you walk in. The directions are on there and its pretty easy to use. Everything publicly filed on the case is scanned in there. You just have to pay for whatever you print out. It's like a quarter a page or something.

Prosecutors Challenge Cuadra's Alibi

According to the Citizens' Voice... accused killer Harlow Cuadra sent a handwritten note to an acquaintance last year, coaching him on ways to corroborate one of Cuadra’s alleged alibis, prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday.

In the note to Nep Maliki, Cuadra set the storyline for an alibi in which he claimed to be working as a male escort in Virginia at the time Bryan Kocis was killed in Dallas Township in January 2007.

Cuadra, 26, and Joseph Kerekes, 34, both of Virginia Beach, Va., are accused of slashing Kocis’ neck and stabbing his torso nearly 30 times and later setting his Midland Drive home on fire.

They face the death penalty and are scheduled to stand trial together before Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. beginning Sept. 2.

A hearing on pre-trial motions is scheduled for Monday*.

Cuadra told Maliki they had met at Cuadra’s home in Virginia on the morning of Jan. 24, 2007, the day Kocis was killed. They were there for about an hour before they showered together and Maliki left, Cuadra said.

“I guess the thing we need to get clear is the time you came over,” Cuadra said in the note. “Did you work early that day after you saw me? At what time did you go into work that day? Please check with your work.”

The note, which Cuadra told Maliki was “for his eyes only,” was included as an exhibit in the prosecutors’ answer to an omnibus pretrial motion filed by Cuadra’s attorneys in March.

Cuadra has offered conflicting alibis since his arrest, including that he was performing an escort call at the Fox Ridge Motel in Plains Township at the time of the murder, prosecutors said.

Cuadra sent an e-mail to Matthew Brannon of Fayetteville, N.C., attempting to bolster his Fox Ridge Motel claim, four minutes after the fire at Kocis’ house was called in to 911, prosecutors said.

Brannon, a computer expert, said the e-mail could have been sent from anywhere using a mobile air card. State police confirmed continuous Internet connectivity is available throughout the area where Kocis’ house was located.

Cuadra asked former escort client Howard Hallford to corroborate the Maliki story in a May 2007 interview with police. Hallford agreed, but then backed off, saying he had only seen Cuadra once in a two-week span in mid to late January 2007.

Attorneys in the case are under a court-imposed gag order and are not permitted to comment on filings or developments.

Prosecutors also asked to defer judgment on a defense motion for a change of venue to a location outside Luzerne County until after jury selection.

Cuadra’s attorneys said in a filing in May that media coverage of the murder had been, “extensive, inflammatory, sensational and highly inculpatory,” making the selection of an impartial jury nearly impossible in Luzerne County.

After jury selection, attorneys for both sides and Olszewski would have a better opportunity to “gauge the effect” of the media coverage on potential jurors.
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* The Monday date is incorrect. The pre-trial motions hearing is scheduled for Tuesday (07/08/08)... the Citizens' Voice has since printed a correction.

DA Files a Few Briefs

With only a couple of days before Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes' next hearing, the DA's office has filed the following briefs:

1. Brief in Opposition to Motion to Suppress Evidence : Suppress Search Warrant

2. Brief in Opposition to Motion to Suppress Evidence: Motion to suppress Apr 07 interceptions

With tomorrow being a holiday, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get copies until Monday... at which time I'll be in Wilkes-Barre anyway, so I'll just run by the courthouse then if need be.

Update @ 4:59 PM... Looks like we'll definitely have to wait until Monday... as it appears that the good folks of Luzerne County like to leave early on holiday-eve's... oh well!

July Fireworks...

With the July 8th & 9th hearing fast approaching, I wanted to consolidate all of my previous posts in to one easy to read resource... so here's the latest information known:

1. Witnesses expected to attend.
2. Motions that should be addressed.

The motions hearing for Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes is scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM (EDT) on the 8th, and I assume it'll be the same for the 9th. There will be a break for lunch around 12 or 12:30, this break usually lasts for an hour. During this break, I'll be posting a mini-update, then a full update will follow around 4:30 PM, or shortly after the day's hearing actually ends (in the event it runs longer than scheduled).

Ironically, a source tells me that: "it all depends upon PPO's mood. If it's going to be an all-day event, he'll probably take 15 minutes around 10:30 and an hour somewhere around noon. But you never know with PPO. He's a workhorse. If he wants to get stuff done, he'll take less or shorter breaks."

So needless to say, updates will be done when time is permitted.

The other reason for this post is that I'd like to hear from you... what would you like to see reported?

I can certainly tell you that I'm already expecting there to be a few surprises... guess we'll see. :)