11:32 AMI am sure PC will fill us in on more details concering the "scolding" very soon...
Luzerne County trial and jury still undecided in Cuadra, Kerekes
Edward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE - A Luzerne County judge scolded prosecutors for filing investigative reports in the case against two men charged with the slaying of a gay pornographic movie producer.
Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. said the investigative reports which are public could impact the right to a fair trial for Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes.
"I take that act as to endanger their right to a fair trial," Olszewski told prosecutors, adding that he's never seen or heard investigative reports being made public before trial. "You have taken a positive step to create a problem."
Olszewski made the statement after Kerekes' lawyers, Mark Bufalino, Shelley Centini and John Pike, requested to move the trial to another county or bring in a jury from another county. The lawyers claimed publicity and news stories about the case will make it difficult to seat an impartial and objective jury.
Olszewski said he'll make a ruling at a later date.
Cuadra, 26, and Kerekes, 34, both from Virginia Beach, are charged in the slaying of Bryan Kocis, 44, at his Dallas Township home in January 2007.
Prosecutors allege in arrest records they killed Kocis, whom they considered their rival in the gay porn industry.
Prosecutors and attorneys for Cuadra and Kerekes are debating issues to determine what evidence can be used at trial, set to begin with jury selection on Sept. 2.
Olszewski has already ruled that prosecutors can use several photographs of Kocis' body.
Check back later as the pre-trial hearing continues...
Update: A little indication of how "tainted" the Luzerne County jury pool is getting with all this media attention: Harlow and Joe stories and editorials have been running in the Times Leader all week, in the run up to today's hearing. And once again...no H&J story managed to crack the Top 8, in either Most Viewed or in Most Emailed:
The sad demise of a police dog in Kingston is getting more attention from the locals than the Harlow and Joe trial.
8 comments:
OK, I was thinking about this just now in the shower, and now, after changing into a fresh set of jammies, here are my very early mullings on this so-called "scolding."
First of all, a perfect impartial juror will be one who has preferably NEVER heard about this case. As I've noted before (and though hard this may be for US to believe) it won't be difficult at all to round up 12 of these people; the case has gotten relatively little attention in the str8 community in Luzerne County. Those folks just arn't interested in our gay porn politics (imagine that).
So, to my mind, this is the difference between one tree falling in the forest, and a hundred trees falling in the forest. Even if 99 more trees fall than usual, if no one is in the forest to hear them...who cares?
These investigative reports that have been filed are those 99 extra falling trees. They seem impressive, but only until you realize the people that matter arn't here to hear them all go "CRACK! creeeeaaaaak....SLAM!"
Second of all, what of the bullcrap misinformation that has been spread by the Kerekes and Cuadra families, and their enablers? Seems to me, THEY should be scolded too.
The reason, I think, we've seen the prosecution file these investigative reports is, in part, to counteract the whoppers being told by pro-Harlow bloggers in the past: Ie, Justin Hensley has a deal. Harlow and Joe did not have a debt problem. Red herrings about FBI investigations. I could go on and on and on...
Why does not PPO scold the other side over all this bullcrap? Seems to me, there be plenty of scolding to go 'round here, if this be the standard for a scolding.
Jim--
Yep. "A turf war" which is what the BBT's allude to. One camp is the Kocis-Bergeron set; the other is the Cuadra-Kerekes set.
You will notice the alibi Kerekes was trying to float: Cuadra pulled up to the Kocis house, parked, entered the house and found a dead Kocis and left, fleeing first to the motel esconced Wonder Muffin for guidance.
Should be an interesting afternoon.
jim another problem is too many of the players broke gag orders as well as planting lies - or red herrings, depending on your view.
they should also be held accountable for their actions - if not, whats the point of gag orders?
elm still ranting about the fbi stuff that he cobrakiller put into his head.
no clue where agent rob stands anymore. seems he has backtracked on all his previous claims.
no mention of RW being in LC. it appears he has little to nothing that he was witness to. that has always been the case with him though IMO.
And then there's Renee.
Renee, as we all know, has been less-than-gagged the past few weeks. Was there a gag order on witnesses, and she never got the memo? Or was it just on the lawyers (ie, not the witnesses)?
I should go back thru PC's old posts, see if I can dig that little factoid up...
Rob said:
You will notice the alibi Kerekes was trying to float: Cuadra pulled up to the Kocis house, parked, entered the house and found a dead Kocis and left, fleeing first to the motel esconced Wonder Muffin for guidance.
And if you believe this one Rob, I am a multi-millionarie and I am in Mexico having a grand time at the pool right now.
These are all very doubtful, especially theirs, but I really would perfer to be in Mexico right now on the beach instead of here.
jim said...
And then there's Renee.
Renee, as we all know, has been less-than-gagged the past few weeks. Was there a gag order on witnesses, and she never got the memo? Or was it just on the lawyers (ie, not the witnesses
that gag order was on the attornys, i will shut up when they tell me to and not before then.... No one ever gave me a copy of a gag order imposed , so the hell with it I am gonna tell it all when this hearing is over, we should really do a q and a jim...
Renee got that bail thingy instead of a gag order maybe :)
Interesting Renee, thanks!
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