WILKES-BARRE, Penn. - Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes, the men accused of murdering adult video producer Bryan Kocis, will begin standing trial for the crime on Sept. 2.
At a hearing on Tuesday, Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. not only set the trial date, but also defined May 9 as the deadline for defense attorneys to file pre-trial motions and ordered prosecutors to overhaul their list of 385 witnesses to rebut Kerekes' "out of town at the time" alibi. The defense had objected to the list because of its length and because some of the potential witnesses allegedly had not been contacted about testifying.
There remains a question about whether the two men will be tried separately or at the same time. In addition, Olszewski did not rule on the defense's motion that charges against Kerekes should be dismissed for lack of evidence or on a prosecution request that Kerekes undergo a psychiatric evaluation. According to Kerekes' attorney, Shelley Centini, the defense hasn't had its own psychiatric evaluation performed yet, so a ruling on a prosecution request would be premature.
Kocis was killed in January 2007. His nearly decapitated body, stabbed nearly 30 times post-mortem, was discovered in the ashes of his burned home. Prosecutors say the fire was set in order to cover up the murder.
Cuadra and Kerekes, both residents of Virginia, are accused of killing Kocis, the owner of Cobra Video, in order to free gay porn performer Brent Corrigan from a contract with Cobra. Both have pleaded not guilty to the crime. Detectives began investigating Cuadra after one of his publicity photos was found on the charred remains of a computer hard drive among the ashes of Kocis' rural-Pennsylvania home. He and Kerekes, who is said to be his lover, were charged with the murder in May 2007.
In July, after an investigation by local police and the FBI, the pair was charged in Virginia with racketeering and conspiracy to launder money. Their assets were seized by Virginia authorities as part of a plea bargain in that case.
The prosecution has said it will seek the death penalty.
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