Testimony Highlights From Harlow Cuadra Trial

EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s a picture of the murder victim’s charred corpse after the jump which some readers may find disturbing.
The prosecution in the Bryan Kocis murder trial is expected to rest their case against Harlow Cuadra this Monday or Tuesday. They’ve called more than 50 witnesses and we’ve condensed their testimony into bite-sized nuggets below:

Cuadra carrying Brent Corrigan in private footage taken at a nude beach.
STRONG ENOUGH FOR MURDER?: A thin Harlow Cuadra slouched in his courtroom chair Thursday, not looking as jurors watched a video of him, shirtless, lifting dumbbells and flexing his muscles.
To prove that Cuadra had the strength to stab and kill Bryan Kocis, the prosecution called Lance Threadway, owner of the Virginia Beach gym where Cuadra and his partner, Joseph Kerekes, worked out regularly. Threadway called Cuadra, “a very strong gentleman… who regularly bench pressed 225 pounds.” Threadway said neither Cuadra or his boyfriend, Joseph Kerekes, checked into the gym between January 24th (the day Kocis was killed) and 26th.
Cuadra’s attorneys have painted Cuadra as weaker than his ex, admitted killer Joseph Kerekes, saying in opening statements that Cuadra wasn’t strong enough to stab Kocis and slash his throat.

Cuadra was also an escort with several friendly and helpful clients.
HUSTLING FOR AN ALIBI: Cuadra’s former clients testified that Cuadra contacted them for an alibi for the night of the murder. “A bad alibi is better than no alibi,” Cuadra allegedly told Howard Mitchell Halford according to Halford’s testimony.
Halford met Cuadra through the male escort service Cuadra co-owned with Kerekes in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Halford said he loved Cuadra and often worried about him, giving Cuadra a key to his home so Cuadra could “have an option” if there was ever a problem with Kerekes. Since Cuadra’s arrest, Halford has donated more than $70,000 to Cuadra for his legal fund and other expenses. But he never lied to police.
“You were not with him on Jan. 24?” Assistant District Attorney Michael Melnick asked.
The testimony continues after the jump!

“No,” Halford said.
Halford read from letters Cuadra sent him, asking to support his alibi. Halford sighed. He paused after being asked questions by Melnick and Cuadra’s attorney Joseph D’Andrea. Halford pointed to Cuadra when asked to identify him, but otherwise tried to avoid eye contact with Cuadra as he testified. Cuadra took notes during the testimony.
Throughout the trial Cuadra’s attorneys, D’Andrea and Paul Walker, have tried to paint Cuadra as submissive to Kerekes. Halford agreed, saying Cuadra was like a “battered spouse.” During cross-examination, Halford described a story of Kerekes visiting Halford’s apartment and taking Cuadra away.
“And, Harlow, like a little puppy, succumbed to his master, Joe?” D’Andrea asked.
“Totally,” Halford said.
Hallford told the jury he saw Cuadra once in late January 2007 and gave him $70,000 because he loves him. “That was the reason for the money,” Hallford said, apparently surprising the jury.
Meanwhile, Nep Maliki, a fast-food restaurant employee in Virginia Beach, said he was an escort customer of Cuadra’s and he also felt he was in love with him. He donated $50 to Cuadra’s defense, Maliki said.
Assistant district attorneys Michael Melnick, Shannon Crake and Allyson Kacmarski showed the jury a letter Cuadra allegedly wrote to Maliki on June 13, 2007.
In the letter that Cuadra began, “For your eyes only,” he gave explicit instructions to Maliki to remember certain events in an attempt to have Maliki as an alibi witness.
“I remember that you came over on January 24th (2007) around 7:30 a.m., maybe it was 8 a.m. You had on black jeans and a black heavy sweater. Black slip-on shoes,” Cuadra wrote.
Cuadra also coached Maliki to tell investigators that a silver Nissan XTerra was parked in front of his Virginia Beach home. Maliki said he held onto the letter for six months, carrying it in his pocket.
Luzerne County Detective Lt. Gary Capitano took writing samples of both Cuadra and Kerekes after their arrests. FBI agent Antoine Frazier said the handwriting in letters already presented to jurors of Cuadra asking friends for an alibi, matched Cuadra’s handwriting.
Joseph Ryan, a computer consultant in Norfolk, Va. Unlike Hallford and Maliki, Ryan casually told the jury that he gave Cuadra more than $7,000. Ryan said Kerekes was the more dominant person in the relationship, adding that Kerekes gave Cuadra a black eye.

The charred corpse of Bryan Kocis. The murderer set a blaze within Kocis’ house immediately afterwards to conceal evidence.
HARLOW THREATENED FIREFIGHTERS WITH ARSON BLAZE: The prosecution argued that in addition to homicide and other charges, Cuadra’s charge of arson is an additional reason to pursue the death penealty. The fire, prosecutors allege, put firefighters’ lives at risk and should be considered by jurors to issue the death penalty if they convict Cuadra of first-degree homicide.
Four Dallas Township Fire and Ambulance firefighters testified to the extreme heat, smoke and other conditions they faced in extinguishing the fire. “That was a very dangerous fire,” Vivian said. “All structure fires are dangers, but we had fire go right up the walls. The roof could’ve collapsed.”
But, the roof didn’t collapse and no firefighters were injured, Vivian said, when being cross-examined by D’Andrea.

Will muscle-daddy Kerekes testify for or against his ex-lover, Cuadra?
EX-LOVER TO TESTIFY?: The Times Leader reported that Joseph Kerekes, who admitted to killing Bryan Kocis, is being transferred from a state prison in Dauphin County to the Lackawanna County Jail. The transfer suggests Kerekes, 35, will testify against his partner, Harlow Cuadra.

Cuadra and Corrigan once again… are good-looking men harder to convict?
DRESSED TO KILL: In his letter, Cuadra wrote “The Plan” by “obtaining the means to hire attorneys that can tell a good story. That’s all this comes down to.” Cuadra also recommended a public-image campaign to “make gossip that would help us,” and, “make false fact gossip like the stupid $1 million dollar motive.”
He also wrote, “Please, none of those fat pics. Remember it’s the jeans that made me look like I have a fat ass, not my fat ass that makes those jeans look fat.” Cuadra also suggested “cleaning Joe’s (Kerekes) image, the hard edges need to be filed down. His blog needs to be cleaned up a lot. Positive spin needs to be turned on.”
Cuadra wanted nice suits to wear in court because, “a good-looking defendant is harder to sentence … that business look with contrasting happy ties would be just right.” He recommended light-colored suits and said gray, dark blue and black suits “are a no, no” and wanted office-looking, lace-up shoes. Image matters a lot. Notice all the close ups of my face? Yeah, they use that youth killer look to make those papers fly from the stand. Thank God I shaved,” Cuadra wrote.
Cuadra wrote in the letter that his life was threatened at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility by “some gangsters,” and had to face “the leader of the North Eastern PA Latin Kings” (a Hispanic street gang) every time he was jailed at the county correctional facility.
Also, check out QC’s coverage of the case below:
Harlow Cuadra To Testify This Week In Bryan Kocis Capital Murder Trial
UPDATE: Brent Corrigan Admits Underage Porn Acting And Helping FBI In Cuadra Murder Case
UPDATE: Jury Selection Underway In Harlow Cuadra Murder Trial
QCA TV Quickie: Harlow Cuadra On Here!
QCA Television: Everything You Wanted To Know About Gay Porn Stars (But Were Afraid To Ask)
Porn Stars and Family Rally to “Free Harlow Cuadra”
Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Manuel Kerekes Arrested!