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Since 2001, Winner of SEVEN Awards including ManNet's Best of the Web, Cybersocket's Best Online Personality, KSEX Listener's Choice for Best Overall Industry Insight & ASM's Publisher's Choice Award.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

New Discoveries As Harlow Trial Continues

Lots of interesting facts coming to light during the past few days of Harlow Cuadra's trial. He is accused of first-degree murder of Cobra Video owner Bryan Kocis, for which he has plead not guilty.

Here's some highlights from the past few days:


- According to the Times Leader, Brent Corrigan's partner Grant Roy "admits he had motive to kill Bryan Kocis" and that he had at times referred to "wanting to see Kocis dead."

- From the Citizen's Voice:

During cross-examination, Roy also admitted to saying several times he wanted to kill Kocis, because of the very heated negotiations about Lockhart's working status. Roy also said a model who worked for him referred to hiring a hitman to kill Kocis, but he laughed it off.

"You said if you were going to kill him you would do it yourself?" D'Andrea asked.

"Yes," Roy responded.

"That's how bad the blood was between you?" D'Andrea asked.

"There was some pretty heavy things at the time," Roy said.


- When Kocis filed a lawsuit to keep Sean Lockart from using the "Brent Corrigan" name, Grant Roy admits he started a blog called Cobra Killer.

- Roy admits it was he who first contacted Harlow Cuadra and Joe Kerekes.

- Grant Roy and Brent Corrigan are no longer together.

- Howard Mitch Halford, a former escort client of Harlow Cuadra's, testified that after Kocis's murder, Cuadra asked him to be an alibi and tell investigators that Cuadra was with him during the time Kocis was murdered. At first, that's exactly what Halford did. Later, he recanted.

- Renee Martin testified to receiving a 6-page letter from Cuadra following his arrest in which he detailed "The Plan" which "included obtaining attorneys that could tell a good story" and "making false fact gossip like the stupid $1 million dollar motive" referring to the motive the prosecution was trying to pin on him.

- John Ryan, a client for Cuadra and Kerekes's escort company, says that Cuadra confided in him, "He said he arrived at Mr. Kocis' residence and saw the door open and Kocis' body on a couch. He said he heard a noise, he fled and called Joe." Meanwhile, the transcripts from the wire tapped conversation feature Cuadra telling Corrigan and Roy a very different story: "His (expletive) phone rang. He goes, ya know what, you remind me of something, of someone, and he smiled. And I was like ahhh, I don't know, I put my head down. Then he smiled at me like, ya now, I know who you (expletive) are. He answers his phone and then, right then, ya know, my dude comes around. ... Actually seeing that (expletive) going down, actually it's sick, but it made me feel better inside. It almost felt like I got revenge. I know that sounds (expletive) up."

- Ryan also testifed that Kerekes was incredibly "dominant" in his relationship with Cuadra and that he had once assaulted Cuadra. The other escort client, Halford, described Cuadra as "a puppy dog" with Kerekes, as he was Cuadra's first boyfriend and first love.

- Though the wire tap transcripts show Cuadra discussing being there during Kocis's death, the defense attorneys continue to focus on the fact that nowhere during the course of the conversation did Cuadra say he himself killed Kocis. From The Times Leader:

"Nowhere in any of the recordings does it say that my client killed Mr. Kocis," D'Andrea said to Roy.

"The context of the conversation was Harlow was in the house when Bryan was killed," Roy said.

Not happy with Roy's response, D'Andrea fired back, offering to sit for a week to allow Roy to find somewhere in the transcripts where Cuadra admits to killing Kocis.

"It doesn't," Roy said.


- Grant Roy, Brent Corrigan, Joe Kerekes and Harlow Cuadra met for a $3000.00 dinner meeting in Las Vegas just two weeks before Kocis's murder where they discussed the possibility of making movies together as well as the Kocis lawsuit keeping anyone from using the Brent Corrigan name. According to Corrigan's testimony on the stand, when the subject of making Kocis "go away" was brought up by Cuadra and Kerekes, Kerekes said Cuadra had a friend "who would do anything for him." Corrigan says he was unaware that they were referring to having Kocis murdered and didn't even think about that as a possibility until weeks later, yet Roy says in what may be construed as a conflicting testimony that he discussed openly at the dinner table that Kocis should not be harmed. The Times Leader reports Corrigan says "the topic was dropped almost immediately and he didn't think about it until a few weeks later when Kocis was stabbed to death," the Citizens Voice claims Roy testified that during the dinner conversation "he made it very clear that Kocis shouldn't be harmed" quoting Roy as saying, "I told them if something happened to Bryan [Kocis], they're going to show up at my door the next day. If something happened to either one of us, they're going to show up at his door the next day."


All very interesting!

I know Corrigan and Roy have before claimed that they were in the process of settling their dispute with Kocis just before he was murdered and this was also brought up during the trial.

Corrigan told me directly following the news of Kocis's murder that their reached agreement was "mutually beneficial" and according to my blog archives, Corrigan told me by phone on Thursday, January 25th, 2007 that "[Bryan Kocis] knew a lot about the video production end of things and I was looking forward to putting all of this behind us and working together in the future."

I
always thought this would clear them of motive if that were indeed the case.

Of course, I also thought it was so strange that they would want to work with Kocis after painting him out to be a child-molesting, kiddie porn making monster for so long and that it would not look in their favor to back track and now be in bed with what they'd previously taken donations from fans to fight against.

I don't pretend to know who was and wasn't involved in the murder of Bryan Kocis -- and I often wonder if any of us will ever really know. But I do pray every day that justice, whatever it may be, will be served and that all innocent parties will be able to move on with their lives.

Stay tuned as Harlow's trial continues.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The court settlement between Roy, Corrigan and Kocis wasn't merely "claimed," it was a reality.

The terms Brian Kocis was able to enact were extremely unfavorable to Corrigan, who had abandoned his prior contract with Cobra video. Corrigan and Roy agreed to several new video projects with Brian and a non-competition period that would have depleted more of Brent's shelf-life and kept Harlow and Joe totally out of the money picture for a long time.

The legal settlement contract is a federal, public document that was even downloaded and posted here on Jason's blog.

Why would Jason think a legal reconciliation between Corrigan and Kocis would clear Corrigan and Roy of a motive? They could still resent the terms of the settlement (they probably did) and carry out their homocide anyway, thinking that was their only, ultimate way out of the clutches of Kocis.

Kocis' clutches, as it were. LOL

But as much as I detest their personalities, I do not think Corrigan and Roy participated in the planning of the homocide, nor do the prosecutors obviously.

Why did Jason "think it was strange" that Corrigan and Roy would want to work with Kocis again after painting him out to be a monster and campaigning so publicly against him?

Because they had to. Corrigan broke and abandoned several legal contracts Kocis had with Corrigan and his name for work with Cobra. The federal court forced Corrigan and Roy to accept this when they accepted terms that favored Kocis in that settlement.

Or because they wanted to: there are several advantages to reconciliation. It's much more productive and profitable. I know that Corrigan and Roy have never displayed self-awareness, an ability to criticize themselves, accept responsibilities or own their fuck ups. But it's possible they actually realized Corrigan was wrong to abandon Kocis' contracts, however displeased he became with them; so they wanted to make things right.

To think their settlement strange is to think legal defeat is strange, or to think that reconciliation is strange, when both things happen all the time.

And here's another flaw with Harlow's defense lawyer:

He's quick to point out that Harlow never admitted to perpetrating the murder on the spy tapes or to witnesses.

But neither he nor Harlow explain why Harlow was there, which Harlow confessed to on tape and to other witnesses.

Nor do they identify "Harlow's guy," the man Harlow claimed to Corrigan and Roy really killed Kocis.

Harlow does admit on those tapes he was at the scene of the crime and witnessed the murder, contradicting his various testimonies to the press and police but absolutely in-line with the prosecutors' evidence.

So if Harlow didn't commit the murder but witnessed it, who commited it?

Harlow can't plead the 5th when incriminating others, he has to identify the murderer or claim there is no other "guy" and he was LYING to Corrigan and Roy.

But then, the only motive Harlow could have had for lying to Corrigan and Roy would be to deny and shift blame for a murder Harlow committed himself.

Watch how that plays out soon.

Expect a guilty conviction for Harlow, and don't think it's possible Harlow didn't participate in the murder. He did. We know as much from the physical proof, regardless of Harlow's and Corrigans' inconsistent testimonies. And Harlow's ridiculous alibis trying to explain why he really bought the murder weapon, or rented the SUV, or stayed in a hotel down the street from Kocis the night of the murder all fly in the face of his earlier lies, telling police and press that he was in Virginia with a John during the murder.

Harlow admits to new realities and just makes up new lies as the prosecutors reveal their proof. It's pathetic.

BTW, it's perfectly possible Brent Corrigan was oblivious to the murdererous implications of Joe's and Harlow's chat with Corrigan and Roy in Vegas.

Corrigan is an airhead with A.D.D. It's possible that Roy made up the explicit, verbal rejections of a murder plot at that table just for the court to save himself, but it's also possible that he did say those things while Corrigan wasn't paying attention.

It's possible Corrigan forgot every word, especially if he didn't grasp the murderous implications.

I misremember things all the time and fail to grasp the gravity of somebody's statement until something awful happens.

In any case, I just hope Jason doesn't let a personal distaste for Corrigan's and Roy's personalities and flaws convince him they participated in Kocis' murder.

I hate Corrigan's and Roy's obnoxious, egomaniacal, incompetent, immature personalities as much as anyone. I adore Harlow's body; he's one of the hottest guys in porn.

But I need physical proof before I believe Corrigan and Roy participated in homicide; the kind of proof prosecutors only have against Joe and Harlow.

4:25 PM  
Blogger Jason Sechrest said...

Gavin,

TONS of good points! Lots to think about. Thanks for such an intelligent post.

I never considered resentment for the terms of a legal reconciliation because I just kept hearing how "mutually beneficial" it all was and how they were so looking forward to working with him again.

Your contentions for the defense's flaws are all things I've thought about too. I've been wondering if they're going to start in on those things when the defense begins their part of the trial on Monday.

And for the record, I don't have a personal distaste for Brent Corrigan or Grant Roy. I happen to like them! (Always have, even when they've had at times a personal distaste for me. lol) But like I said, I won't pretend to have ANY idea who was and was not involved with the exception of Kerekes. I have a kind of block when it comes to things like this. I can't personally allow myself to form a solid opinion in my head about who is a murderer. Something about how, as one reader recently wrote in, people are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

I just really do hope that justice will be served. It's a horrible thing to have had happen and even for the witnesses and the innocent people involved, I'm sure this entire ordeal has been so incredibly stressful. I feel awful for them, Brent and Grant included.

4:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fair enough about the "innocent until proven guilty" point.

And I congratulate you for being able to stomach Roy and Corrigan despite all their vanities and ego trips, although I thought you supported the view of Roy as a meddlesome, borderline psycho when discussing with Chris Steele Roy's harassing phone calls during VELVET MAFIA.

I already think justice cannot be served, because Brian Kocis cannot be brought back from the dead. However selfish, conniving and exploitative he was, I don't think Kocis deserved murder.

And justice cannot possibly be served if gay men lose Harlow's gorgeous face and body to prison forever.

Harlow could have brought hours of more erotic pleasure to millions of gay men worldwide, not to mention all the real-time hot sex to dozens of guys, which would have made the world a better, more beautiful place.

But if Bubba from Cell Block 26 is the only one who gets a piece of Harlow from now on, or if Harlow gets the chair, we will all experience a miscarriage of justice, indeed.

And semen.

5:14 PM  
Blogger Jason Sechrest said...

I like you!

5:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

While no one deserves to be murdered, Kocis had previous sexual encounters with underage teenage males. I will not weep over his death but neither would I want someone to get away scot free with murder

12:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Settlement Agreement Lockhart et. al reached with Bryan Kocis was reached via mediation using a private Mediator.

All the federal judge in San Diego did with respect to that idiot lawsuit Kocis caused to be filed was to DISMISS IT. In addition,

The final Settlement Agreement was not made public and still hasn't been made public.

The important point here is ...

The legal process in America is adversarial and it is not the job of a Federal Judge to tell Lockhart and Roy that they should have filed a motion to dismiss Kocis' idiot suit rather than respond to the suit with an Answer (which is what Lockhart and Roy did).

Kocis' lawsuit was going to be dismissed one way or another. And, I don't think the federal judge in SD cared that Lockhart and Roy settled before the suit could be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction (you can't base jurisdiction in any court in America on a contract that essentially amounts to prostitution)

11:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GUILTY: Harlow was just convicted of first degree murder, you guys!

http://www.citizensvoice.com/articles/2009/03/12/news/doc49b91df7e1b2b746125684.txt

12:53 PM  

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