WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Prosecutors have asked a judge to order two men accused of murdering gay porn producer Bryan Kocis to submit handwriting samples. The request is based on new evidence uncovered by the FBI, the prosecution said.
According to the Luzerne County District Attorney's office, the FBI recently turned over several handwritten letters that may have been penned by one of the defendants. Although the DA has not revealed the contents of the letters, he wants Judge Peter Paul Olszewski Jr. to compel Joseph Kerekes and Harlow Cuadra to provide handwriting samples so the letters can be compared to them.
The judge has not indicated when he may rule on the motion, but he recently denied a motion by the defense to compel the prosecution to name the defendant it believes actually killed Kocis. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for both defendants, but defense attorneys contend the death penalty is too steep for an alleged accomplice.
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.
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.
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