Final Thoughts III

The Trial
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I was so eager to write this post in March, right after the verdict was announced. At that time, I was possessed with such...emotion...that words were just bursting to get out. But I decided to hold off until today, because, as you'll see, that emotion expressed itself as a question, indeed, a burning question. And was hoping beyond hope that the people to whom that question would be asked would have perhaps shed some light on the answer in the meantime.

Well, alas no. The question today remains largely unanswered. So, I guess we'll have to ask and try to search for the answer that question, on our own, today.

But first, I felt I needed to recapture that same emotion I had when I first formed The Question. So, I spent this better part of this morning re-reading all my Trial Musings posts. In fact...I recommend everyone do that as well. Yes, Trial Musing 1, all the way through Victory! Yes, I know it's a lot of reading, but it'll be time well spent, trust me. It'll put you in the same frame of mind as myself right now, as we prepare to probe The Question.

Done reading? Good. By now, most of you should have figured out exactly to whom The Question is addressed: Naturally, The Question is addressed to the Harlowites. Yes, that same group of people who for close to two years have been lecturing us on how Harlow is innocent until proven innocent. On how we must all wait for the trial. On how, once we hear Harlow's side of the story, the scales will fall from our eyes, and how our world view will change overnight.

And all that trial re-reading, The Question itself should be obvious as well. It being:

WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WERE YOU PEOPLE THINKING???????

That's The Question, pretty much in a nutshell. And since the verdict, there just has been no satisfactory explanation from those primarily responsible for this farce of a trial for their actions. A travesty which not only WASTED two years of our lives here, but perhaps more importantly, ruined the lives of the Kerekes and Zaldivar families.

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I want to elaborate on that last point, because it is of critical moral importance. It is my firm belief that Harlow and Joe, had they been reasonable after their arrest on May 15, would have been able to easily secure plea bargains at that early stage far more lenient than the life w/o parole sentences they ended up with by fighting and foot dragging to the verge (in Joe's case) or the actuality (in Harlow's) of a trial.

Consider the case of Bobby Lee Komrowski. Some of you may remember him as the prison cellmate of Joe Kerekes, transported to testify at Harlow's trial, but (for whatever reason) not called. The reason I bring him up actually has nothing to do with his stint an aborted witness, but rather, on the merits of his own case for which he was incarcerated.

Comparisons between Komrowski and Harlow/Joe are interesting. Both were capital murder cases. Both were grisly stabbings. Both in 2007. Both were committed in Luzerne County, and prosecuted by the Luzerne County DA's Office. Komrowski was defended by Mark Bufalino, who was for a time Joe Kerekes alternate public defender.

The differences? Well, the key one being, Komrowski did not unreasonably try to drag his case to trial, but instead allowed Bufalino to negotiate a reasonable plea arrangement early on. He and the DA quickly agreed to a 20-40 year sentence, which was routinely approved in due course by the court.

Oh, and there were other interesting differences as well. Komrowski committed his crime alone, meaning, there was no co-defendant he could offer to "roll" on. In addition, Komrowski's victim, his girlfriend and mother of their child, was needless to say a rather more sympathetic one than Harlow/Joe's. And on top of that, the Komrowski case was VASTLY less complex, with all local witnesses; hence could have been prosecuted by cash-strapped Luzerne County much more cheaply than the Kocis case, had the case gone to trial.

In other words...all the differences between these similar cases indicate that Harlow and Joe could have gotten an even better deal than 20-40, had they been so inclined early on.

And THAT folks, is what makes my blood boil right now. WHY were Harlow and Joe not-so-inclined? Who manipulated them into such self-detrimental folly?

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Well, I think we can safely say it was not their court appointed attorneys. Surely, they would have advised Harlow and Joe that the state of the evidence against them was so overwhelming that a plea was their best and only hope, and the sooner they could start bargaining, the better.

So, why didn't Harlow and Joe listen to their veteran public defenders, who knew the lay of the land: the judges, the DAs, the clerks; who knew better than most what was possible and what was impossible in their own familiar court system?

It's possible, I suppose, Harlow and Joe may have deluded themselves to some extent. Their well established narcissistic personalities, which led in the past to delusions of grandeur, could also have inflicted them with a mental illusion of invulnerability.

But to me...that explanation alone just does not cut the mustard. No, someone else must have been urging them to reject the common sense proffered by their attorneys. I speak, naturally, of that breed of vermin I have referred to over the past two years as the Harlowites.

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So, who are the Harlowites?

Well naturally, as the name implies, they are people who have since the murder supported Harlow, and the notion he was innocent. And I've noticed they can be divided into three categories:

1) The Corrigan Derangement Syndrome (CDS) sufferers;
2) The Harlow Clients and Associates (HCA);
3) Elm

Let me deal with that last one first.

Elm is a rare bird. He, and he alone that I know of, doesn't really pigeonhole into either of the first two categories. I could say more...but I don't see the need to, really. I have opinions about Elm, which I have stated here in the past...just enter "Elm" as a search term on this blog if you want read them. The thing about Elm is, I don't think he ever was so close to Harlow and/or Joe as to influence their decision making, one way or the other. So in view of that...I am giving him a pass.

Elm, you are free to leave the woodshed unharmed. Go in peace.

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The first group of Harlowites are easily my favorite, because they are so predictable and easy to understand. There is very little mystery as to what motivates a Corrigan Derangement Syndrome sufferer!

CDS sufferers are also fun to study, because they can be further subdivided into subcategories. This is important to do, because as it turns out...not all CDS sufferers turned out to be Harlowites.

I shall explain. On the various pre-arrest online forums, CDS sufferers were united in stridently declaring Grant and Brent the murderers. That was their defining trait. When they spoke about Harlow, if at all, it was as the poor innocent waif set up by the aforementioned evildoers.

My theory as to why: The CDS sufferers back then were afraid that by introducing a non-Sean non-Grant party into their various conspiracy theories, it could be pointed out that that party may have acted alone. A fear that turned out to be pretty well justified, because as we all know, that is exactly the reality of what happened.

After Arrest Day, a schism developed. Some CDS sufferers read the arrest affidavit, accepted reality, and immediately acknowledged Harlow and Joe as the killers. Naturally, "...put them up to it..." became their new battle cry.

The blogger "BB" would become perhaps the best known representative of this "Realist" subcategory. Since they are by definition not Harlowites, I should say no more of them here; however, for the sake of historical completeness I cannot resist writing a brief post-script here as to what became of them. As the evidence mounted against "put them up to it," they gradually fell back upon "they failed to warn!" and other such less impressive arguments for culpability which never quite caught on. Their Waterloo, however, was during the trial, when both Sean and Grant were called to testify for the prosecution. For YEARS, they had openly salivated in great anticipation of this sacred and holy moment, when under no-doubt withering cross-examination "they would have a meltdown" and "all their lies would be exposed." But like the actual battle of Waterloo, well...things did not go exactly as planned. Brent by all accounts "performed brilliantly," and Grant's testimony, rather than melting down or exposing lies was noted most for the remarkable candor in which he calmly detailed his less-than-favorable opinion of the victim, Bryan Kocis. La Garde recule! Palpably dispirited afterwards, the Realists have since then more or less faded away.

Other CDS sufferers, OTOH, never could abandon Harlow. For them, their contempt for Brent was so extreme, they simply could not fathom the notion that anyone in their right mind could commit murder in order to work with him, either "put up to" or no. The motive for the crime was thus by objective definition ridiculous; therefore, Harlow HAD to have been framed. Jason Ridge and John Roecker are the leading lights of this "Harlowite" wing of the CDS sufferers, and really, half of what this post is about today.

As I've said before, I don't really watch a lot of gay porn, so, I can't say I know a whole lot about Jason Ridge. While I obviously never saw any of his movies, from what I've been able to determine by reading his blog, he appears to be an aging, balding, out of shape and pathologically insecure porn star. Apparently, he first came into contact with Brent while working together on The Velvet Mafia, and for reasons unknown seems to have developed some sort of bug up his butt towards he and Grant during that time. Shortly after Harlow was arrested, Ridge announced that he had made a large donation to Harlow's defense fund, in doing so taking a stand against "the nasty pedifiles defending Brent Corrigan."

(You know, the funny thing looking back on that old post of mine, is that I and pretty much everyone else back then simply assumed this was just a publicity stunt by Jason Ridge. That it had to be, as nobody could be so stupid as to truly believe Harlow was innocent. Well, fast forward to today, and based on his words and actions since, I'll be the first to admit: I was wrong. It wasn't just a publicity stunt. He really did think Harlow was innocent. He really was that stupid. Yep, he sure showed me.)

And I confess to know even less about Roecker. All I know is that he's a relatively obscure LA based filmmaker, rumored to be a regular escort client of Jason Ridge, who by producing a slavishly sympathetic documentary of Harlow Cuadra (complete with a re-enactment of Sean and Grant sneaking into Bryan's house), became in effect the Leni Riefenstahl of the Harlowites. Roecker also allegedly paid $50,000 to Harlow's defense fund, as a "fee" for the interview.

Given all of the above, I don't think it's a leap to suggest both Ridge, Roecker, and the other various CDS Harlowites played a huge role in Harlow's decision to gamble his life away at trial. A plea was the last thing these people wanted, as it would remove suspicion from where they wanted it to be. Tearing down Brent was always the main objective with this group, not saving Harlow. Harlow was merely a tool to be used towards that objective.

One final highly amusing point, before I move on: Roecker's Harlow interview was, by quirk of fate, conducted before Joe pled out. Meaning, it portrayed Joe in a way completely at odds with the way the defense wanted Joe portrayed at trial - a loving soul mate who coyly courted Harlow at a mall, rather than a monster who Stockholm Syndromed Harlow into thralldom. Naturally, Melnick used the Roecker interview to very effectively impeach Harlow on the stand, so that ultimately, John Roecker's propaganda ended up swaying the only 12 people who mattered in precisely the opposite direction as was intended.

I must say, the gods of poetic justice have truly worked wonders in this saga!

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On Day 7 of the Harlow Trial back in March, facial orifices expanded all over the Kocisphere as we read:

"Mouths opened and eyes widened among a few jurors on Wednesday when a customer of Harlow Cuadra’s male escort business in Virginia testified he gave Cuadra $70,000 to help pay for his defense on criminal homicide charges.

Howard Mitchell Hallford, 48, told the Luzerne County jury he gave the money to Cuadra, 27, because he loves him."

Re-reading this today, however, it is my nostrils that are flaring. Frankly folks, after months of reflection...I now smell BS.

$70,000 is a lot of money to spend for "love." And it's interesting that this insane degree of love didn't motivate Mr. Hallford to back up an alibi for Harlow, which Harlow asked him to do.

So naturally, I begin to wonder: If Roecker gave Harlow $50 grand in order to selfishly convince Harlow not to plea, might Hallford be giving his $70 grand for the same general purpose? This theory begins to make sense, if you consider the possibility that much of that $70 grand came from other people.

OK, I'll be honest with you folks: I am now entering purely speculative territory. What I am presenting for your consideration today is just a theory. It is a theory that is consistent with the facts we know, but it is currently untested, and hence unproven. Perhaps others after me will care to put it to some tests. Then again, perhaps not. We'll see. I leave it to you all as a parting gift; an unpolished gem, to do with as you wish.

I put forth to you that Mr. Hallford was acting as a "bag man." Oh, I'm sure a small portion may have come from him. But the lion's share I propose came from other escort clients of Harlow. Other clients who are very keen not to be discovered, and used Mr. Hallford to launder their donations.

Other members of this theoretical "Harlow Clients and Associates" group would probably include Barry Taylor (a known client of Harlow), Cheryl "Sassy" Conrad (works for Mr. Taylor), and Renee Martin (at her old job was previously embroiled a financial misappropriation scandal; then managed the Harlow Defense Fund, which by an amazing coincidence is currently embroiled in a financial misappropriation scandal). Heck, I would be surprised if Preacher George is part of this group as well, in some less-than-holy capacity.

I believe these HCAs did not want Harlow and Joe to plea, because they didn't want a "little black book" (actually, I have no idea what color it is, nor whether it's even a book...but you get my drift) possibly ending up as a bargaining chip in these negociations.

These HCAs I wager are also exceedingly happy with the end result of Harlow and Joe being in jail for life...even being on death row would have been peachy with them. As things stand now, all they have to do keep their respective canteen fund at a healthy level, and for a nominal sum of money, buy their silence for life. Had Harlow or Joe ever been released, say, due to a plea bargain, the cost of silence would have risen exponentially. Cigarettes, writing paper, and gum are cheap. Rolexes and cars named Old Blue are not.

Lastly, I now believe that one of these unknown clients is indeed a United States Senator.

Now as you all know, I am not a conspiracy nut. So, I don't make this claim lightly. Initially, I was skeptical when Joe first made this claim:

"mark @ www.boisrus.com said...
Diligently working Harlow is on his star studed blog :-)~...
Harlow and I along with Calvin just returned from a dude ranch in Montana where we thought we were just spending time in R & R a lo and behold. here we are nearly 70 miles from the nearest gas station and probably the same from the nearest "hot spot" we meet a Cowboy who almost instantly recognizes Harlow and asks, OMG are you ready for this..."Are you guys on the RUN."
I have to admit I almost slipped on my spilt tea. But this gentleman burst out with laughter and said, "Boy...see my shotgun over there on the wall?...If you are guilty I aint a US Senator."
Yes so we went horseback riding with Senator " " of " ".
Turns out Harlow and I spent the afternoon riding a different cowboy, and this Senator actually paid for our entire little vacation in an unplanned Escort booking. LOL Also...Harlow is heading out there again tomorrow for some more trail riding :-)
Just a Hello from all of us here in Norfolk today, and we look forward to all of your enlightening and exciting comments on Harlows blog. www.harlowcuadraonline.com

April 17, 2007 4:47 AM"

But when you factor in Justin Hensley testifying under oath to the existence of this Senator as well, combined with Quicky's earwitness courtroom account of the Black's Beach tape volume being turned down to inaudible levels at certain key points in the conversation...I have to admit the unthinkable may be thinkable: that Joe may have, to some extent, been telling the truth.

As to the exact identity of this US Senator, who knows. I'm outa here on the 15th, so, this yet another project I bequeath to some enterprising soul who may chose to undertake it. Who knows, the answer may be closer than we realize. Perhaps on this very blog. Perhaps all someone has to do is connect the dots.

Well, however close to the truth these new theories of mine get, one thing is for certain: These HCA's, by their misguided (perhaps even self-serving) support, probably urged Harlow Joe away from a sensible early plea deal. Thanks to them we had to endure these two years of waiting, all for this incredible joke of a trial.

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But like all good jokes, I will admit the trial was entertaining. And as unexpectedly entertaing as the trial turned out to be...and as much as I've enjoyed you all's company these past two years as well...

On May 16, 2007, I can remember how happy we were all then that the whole mess was sure to be just days away from being OVER.

And then the affidavit came out, and we saw what it was they were arrested on...and we thought...WHEW! Oh yeah. This is OVER! No way this'll go to trial...only a matter of days now...or minutes...

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years...

You know, it's my belief that people in general are rational beings, and that they'll always tend to follow their rational self-interests. And when they don't, that means one of two things: Either a fool is in the equation, OR there are some hidden self-interests out pushing things in what appears to be an unexpected direction.

Now, it is possible both Harlow and Joe were monumental fools. But...it's kind of unlikely. One monumental fool, well we see that all the time. But two monumental fools, in the same situation, simultaneously? That stretches probability a bit.

So, for that reason I have to believe that other furtive self-interests opportunistically entered the picture in May of 2007, and rather callously led Harlow and Joe down a two year path to destruction.

To all you Harlowites out there, who made this trial happen...yeah, I hope your all happy. In 20 years, Harlow will be 46. Joe, somewhere in his 50s. Both with many years of life expectancy ahead of them. But for you and your efforts these past two years, Harlow and Joe might have spent these years as free men, reunited with their families. Instead, thanks to you, in 20 years they will still be making license plates. Atta boy!

To the Brent haters out there like Ridge and Roecker, hey a little word of advice to you guys: Next time a fit of jealously compels you to express your mindless hatred, perhaps next time consider doing so in a way that, say, doesn't cause a half a lifetime of unneccessary misery to an innocent woman like Gladis Zaldivar? Maybe consider doing something a little less destructive, like, oh I don't know, writing an angry blog post? Or if you really are frustrated with the failure of your porn company compared to Brent's, maybe try grabbing an unattended microphone, and saying some bad things about him to a large audience? Or if you are really upset for some reason, just settle for having Brent's boyfriend placed in handcuffs for 10 seconds? Because as vicious and as classless and as stupid and as mindlessly vindictive as all those actions are...that's all PEANUTS compared to the collateral damage you've inflicted on people other than your intended target. This was a trial, a capital murder TRIAL. This was not a fucking game...your childish little porn spat with Brent Corrigan came within four votes of getting a man EXECUTED. Think about that. Oh, and uh, Layla Tov.

And to other Harlow enablers and clients out there...if you had truly loved Harlow, you would have given him good advice two years ago, and dissuaded him from the Kamikaze course he ended up on. Which means at best you're idiots, at worst, you're something more sinister. Whichever it is, I don't really care. But I will say this: the only thing more stupid out there than Harlow's trial is Harlow's appeal. It'll fail, but if by a miracle it succeeds, and a new trial is granted...God help Harlow. On a rerun, I would not be surprised to see a 12-0 vote for death.

Not that I'll be watching this appeal at all. Waiting two years for one ridiculous trial is enough for me.