A Lot of Lawyers

Edward Lewis at the Times Leader recounts the Harlow and Joe lawyers, down through the ages...

July 9
13 lawyers have worked to represent Cuadra, Kerekes
EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com

Thirteen lawyers have represented homicide suspects Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes since the two Virginia men were classified by investigators as persons of interest in the killing of Bryan Kocis of Dallas Township:

A 14th attorney was disqualified by a Luzerne County judge.

Barry Taylor: represented Cuadra, 26, and Kerekes, 34, in their Virginia Beach male escort service and gay pornographic Web site businesses. Taylor attempted to have a search warrant for their Virginia Beach home unsealed.

Graydon Brewer: Hired by Cuadra and Kerekes after authorities in Pennsylvania and Virginia searched their home.

Taylor and Brewer continued to represent Cuadra and Kerekes until they were extradited to Pennsylvania on July 15, 2007, to face criminal homicide charges.

James Brice: Handled the extradition from Virginia.

Joseph Nocito and Frank Nocito: Retained by Kerekes.

William Ruzzo and Thomas Cometa: Retained by Cuadra.

Mark Bufalino, John Pike, Shelley Centini: Court-appointed to represent Kerekes after the Nocitos withdrew from the case.

Steven Menn, Paul Galante and Michael Senape: Court-appointed to represent Cuadra after a judge granted a prosecutor’s request to disqualify Ruzzo and Cometa from representing Cuadra claiming a conflict of interest within the Luzerne County Public Defender’s Office, according to court records. Ruzzo and Cometa, who were retained by Cuadra, are also lawyers in the Public Defender’s Office.

Demetrius Fannick: Met with Kerekes several times at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. Fannick was retained by Cuadra earlier this year, but then removed from the case by a county judge.