Premlinary Hearing Day Two

Update Two Charges Dropped: The burglary charges and the conspiracy to commit burglary charges were dropped.

Grant Roy, was the first to testify in Day two of the preliminary hearing. He is an adult film producer in California, he testified to conversations he had with Joseph Kerekes and Harlow Cuadra the two men accused in the killing gay twink porn film producer Bryan Kocis. For 1 hour and 16 minutes, Grant Roy testified as a prosecution witness during the preliminary hearing for Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes. Roy, the first witness to testify on the second day of the hearing, admitted that he knew investigators were electronically recording the conversation he had with Cuadra and Kerekes. The conversation took place at Blacks Beach near San Diego, Calif., in April where Cuadra , Kerekes, Lockhart and Roy talked about the murder. Prior to taking the witness stand, Roy said he reviewed a transcript of a recording investigators made at a nude beach where Cuadra and Kerekes allegedly admitted to being inside Kocis' home on Jan. 24. His testimony followed what was said in the affidavit quite well

Grant Roy, testified the two men (Caudra and Kerekes) who are accused of killing the Bryan kocis in January described the interior of his home and described details of how the murder transpired. But, Roy also testified that neither Cuadra nor Kerekes ever specifically admitted to committing the crime, but referenced it in vague terms. Roy testified that "Harlow said Bryan never saw it coming". "He said it sounded sick, but it made him feel good in a way, like he got even." Roy said Harlow and Joe, inspected Bryan's Midland Drive home before Harlow arrived for his scheduled meeting with Bryan Kocis on Jan. 24. Roy testified "...they also made an observation that there was no peep hole in the door so the only way Bryan could see who was at the front door was to open the front door," Roy testified to questions asked by Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Michael Melnick. Roy testified. He said Harlow told him he shared a bottle of wine with Kocis, but Kocis drank most of the bottle.

Roy also testified, Harlow said he arranged a meeting with Kocis by saying he was interested in modeling for him. Roy then said Harlow became worried that Bryan recognized who he really was, but then the doorbell rang. "At that time, Brian got up, stumbled to the door, and that was it," Cuadra said. "It went really quick." Roy’s testimony seems to have placed Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes in the home of Brian Charles Kocis the night the adult film producer was murdered. Roy said Cuadra and Kerekes had indicated that authorities wouldn't take the investigation seriously because Kocis was gay. Roy testified that "They felt...because Bryan was gay, the Dallas Township Police Department would put it on the back burner," Roy testified.
Roy said Cuadra and Kerekes had stolen records from Kocis' company, Cobra Video, pornographic DVDs, three computer towers, two laptop computers and Kocis' Rolex watch.

Roy further testified that Cuadra "incinerated" the items because Cuadra considered them "too hot," in which, would link Cuadra to the murder.
On cross-examination by Cuadra's lawyer, William Ruzzo, Roy said he never directly asked Cuadra and Kerekes if they killed Kocis. Roy also testified that neither Cuadra nor Kerekes ever specifically admitted to committing the crime at 60 Midland Drive in Dallas Township, but referenced it in vague terms.
Roy remained composed during his testimony, carefully answering questions from Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Michael Melnick, and defense lawyers Frank Nocito and William Ruzzo.

State police Trooper Brian Murphy, testifying during the preliminary hearing for Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes, said an e-mail account of dmbottom.com was set up Jan. 22 using an IP address registered to Cuadra. The IP address registered to Cuadra was also traced as the source where pictures of Cuadra were sent to Kocis' company, Cobra Video. Kocis' company received an application from a person who identified himself as Danny Moilin on Jan. 22, the same day dmbottom.com was established under Cuadra's registered IP address. The application was for a new model for Cobra Video. Soon after the application was submitted, Kocis and Moilin began emailing one another setting up an appointment. Murphy said he was also able to trace e-mail communications from dmbottom.com through an IP address using a wireless air card beginning on Jan. 23.

Investigators believe Cuadra identified himself as Danny Moilin in an attempt to disguise his true identity. Brian Murphy testified, Kocis exchanged about three dozen emails from an account with an IP address registered to Cuadra. Some of the emails included what appeared to be pictures of Cuadra, although the author of the emails identified himself as Danny Moilin. Murphy said the dmbottom.com e-mail was used to communicate with Kocis between Jan. 22 and Jan. 24. Trooper Brian Murphy, testified the e-mail account was solely used to communicate with Bryan and was last used on Jan. 25, a day after Kocis was found dead inside his Dallas Township home. Murphy also testified that it was through these emails, Kocis and Danny made arrangements to meet the night of the murder, the investigator said. The last communication occurred around 7:15 p.m., about an hour before firefighters responded to a structure fire at Kocis' home and found him inside slashed and stabbed to death.
Murphy also testified that an e-mail registered to Joseph Kerekes was logged onto at 7:43 p.m. on Jan. 24, around the time when a witness saw a light colored sport utility vehicle in the driveway at Bryan Kocis' Dallas Township home.

Trooper Brian Murphy said the e-mail registered to Kerekes, 33, was accessed through a wireless air card registered to Harlow Cuadra.
Kerekes' co-defense lawyer, Joseph Nocito, was able to determine, upon questioning of Murphy, that Kerekes' e-mail was accessed at 7:43 p.m. on Jan. 24.

During a jailhouse interview in July, said he was at the Fox Ridge Inn motel in Plains Township using his e-mail account.

State Police CPL. Leo Hannon testified about a Surveillance video from a Virginia Beach, Va., pawn shop that shows Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes allegedly buying weapons on Jan. 23, a day before Bryan Kocis was killed in Dallas Township. In one of the videos, Cuadra, 26, and Kerekes, 33, are standing with their backs to the camera looking into a glass display case. State police Cpl. Leo Hannon Jr. said a receipt - time stamped at 9:44 a.m. on Jan. 23 - was for the purchase of a Smith and Wesson handgun, ammunition and a folding knife with a five-inch blade. Luzerne County Coroner Dr. Jack Consalvo earlier had testified that he believed at a minimum a three-inch smooth-edged knife was used in the murder. A knife was found inside Kocis' home.

Hannon said Cuadra rented a silver Nissan Xterra from a Virginia Beach car rental business on Jan. 23. Hannon said. The mileage out was 21,357 and had 22,409 miles on it when it was returned on Jan. 25. Hannon said the distance between Virginia Beach where Cuadra and Kerekes resides to the Greater Wilkes-Barre area is 770 miles driving along the coast and 900 miles driving through central Virginia.

State police Cpl. Leo Hannon Jr. testified that signals from two cell phones registered to Joseph Kerekes were processed through a cellular tower on Country Club Road in Dallas Township, a short distance from the Midland Drive home of Bryan Kocis, Hannon said the calls were made at 8:34 p.m. (actually it was 8:37pm when the fire was reported) on Jan. 24, the exact same time firefighters were dispatched to Kocis' home for a fire. Kocis was found dead by firefighters on a couch inside his home. Hannon said two neighbors - who live on Midland Drive - identified the color, manufacturer and model of a Nissan Xterra, the same vehicle Cuadra had rented in Virginia Beach on Jan. 23 and returned two days later. The sport utility vehicle was seen by neighbors at Kocis' home on Jan. 24.

Well it looks like Joseph Kerekes and Harlow Cuadra will be bound over and face criminal homicide and related charges in connection to the slaying of local gay porn producer Bryan Kocis in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
District Judge James E. Tupper held the charges against Harlow Cuadra, 26, and Joseph Kerekes, 33, to court after a two-day preliminary hearing.
Investigators allege the two men killed Kocis whom they considered their main rival in the gay pornographic production business.

Assistant District Attorneys Michael Melnick and Tim Doherty prosecuted.
Attorneys Frank Nocito and Joseph Nocito represent Kerekes.
Attorneys William Ruzzo and Thomas Cometa represent Cuadra.
Cuadra and Kerekes remain jailed without bail.

Thanks to the Times Leader and the Citizens Voice for the information in this post.

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