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Picture of Cuadra nude shown to jury: Trooper testifies he traced e-mails and pictures sent to Kocis by defendant.WILKES-BARRE, Mar 07, 2009 (The Times Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Gasps were heard from those in the packed Luzerne County courtroom when a nude picture of Harlow Cuadra in a provocative position was shown to a jury on Friday. A few heads turned away from the screen, including Cuadra and his mother, Gladys. The picture was one of several, prosecutors believe, Cuadra e-mailed to Bryan Kocis under the disguise he was applying to become an adult film actor for Kocis' production company, Cobra Video, in January 2007. Trooper Brian Murphy, a computer forensic investigator, said he traced more than a dozen e-mails and pictures sent to Kocis from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24 to computers at Cuadra's home in Virginia Beach, Va., and a laptop computer wireless air card registered to Cuadra. Cuadra's pictures apparently caught Kocis' attention because he requested more photographs. Cuadra e-mailed the same pictures, and as Murphy read each e-mail to the jury, Assistant District Attorney Michael Melnick said there was "no need to show" the provocative picture again. Investigators alleged Cuadra and his business partner, Joseph Kerekes, killed Kocis, whom they considered their main rival in the gay adult film production industry, and wanted to film movies with adult film actor Sean Lockhart, a contract actor for Cobra Video. Kocis, 44, was found dead inside his Midland Drive, Dallas Township, home that was set ablaze on Jan. 24, 2007. Kerekes, 35, pleaded guilty in December to second-degree murder and is serving a life sentence. A subpoena was issued on Friday for Kerekes, who is expected to testify on Cuadra's behalf early next week. Murphy will continue his testimony on Monday when Cuadra's trial resumes before Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. Melnick, and assistant district attorneys Shannon Crake and Allyson Kacmarski, are expected to rest their case against Cuadra on Monday or early Tuesday. State police deputy fire marshal Trooper Ron Jarocha testified the blaze that destroyed Kocis' home was intentionally set. He was able to pinpoint the start of the fire behind a love seat in the living room where Kocis' body was found on a couch. Jarocha said the front door was open several inches, causing flames to spread outside. "The fire went toward oxygen; the oxygen pulled the fire out," Jarocha said. Flames through the open door delayed firefighters from rushing inside to search for Kocis. After the fire was knocked down in the area of the front porch, three fighters crawled on their hands and knees inside the residence "feeling" for Kocis. Visibility in the home was described by Dallas firefighters Leonard Roginski, Ralph Schwartz and Shavertown firefighter Jeff Beisel as "very poor" and "near zero" due to blinding black smoke. They used their axes to tap the floor to make sure the floor hadn't collapsed, the firefighters told the jury. "We were crawling ... I was behind Schwartz and tapped his boot, let him know I was there," Roginski told the jury. "There was a lot of heat, there was that possibility of collapse." It took three search attempts by firefighters until Kocis' body was found. Jarocha said several smoke alarms inside the home were found removed from ceiling brackets. An engineer from Verizon Wireless and an expert in wireless communications testified that cell phone signals to a cell phone registered to Cuadra were processed through a cell tower near Kocis' home, beginning at 8:34 p.m. on Jan. 24. Prosecutors said Kocis was killed between 7:40 p.m., when witnesses on Midland Drive said they heard a car door shut outside Kocis' residence, and 8:32 p.m., when a neighbor saw Kocis' home ablaze. Assistant district attorneys Michael Melnick, Shannon Crake and Allyson Kacmarski have called 77 witnesses to testify against Cuadra since the trial began on Feb. 24. Luzerne County Detective Lt. Daniel Yursha is expected to testify on Monday in reference to statements Cuadra allegedly made after his arrest in May 2007. Edward Lewis, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7196. To see more of The Times Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesleader.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |