She had been brutally beaten, raped, and strangled. Cameron should have been the prime suspect and the one they took to trial. The damage from that can be quite minimal and close to the floor with the door discreetly closed on departure, you might not notice unless you looked for it. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. He made calls to a few friends, including apparently pocket-dialing Potts. The majority of criminals arent very bright. They also failed to look for evidence of a missing bootlace. In my opinion, and in my heart, I dont have any question about anything we did in regards to charging that Emanuel Fair killed Arpana Jinaga, she said. Jinagas bruised body was discovered covered with a cloth on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. Johnson's friends and family stated he said "what if I did the murder and I don't remember". Arpana Jinaga Memorial. Her father, a head professor of engineering in India, encouraged he to move to the US to attend Rutgers University. In the apartment, there was a strong smell of bleach, and also bleach stains were found. 14 years later, and unfortunately there are no updates in this case. Theres very little justice left to salvage., In a 2020 interview, the lead detective said Fair stood out to him because he was the only African-American male at the party and looked like an outsider.. Police attempted to identify the partygoers and interview them. This is weird. Fair was initially arrested for not updating his address with his probation officer. She was outgoing and friendly, joining a motorcycle club, practicing tae kwon do, and volunteering at an animal shelter and fire department, all within eight months of moving to Redmond, he said. Jinaga's killer had clearly gone to great lengths to destroy any biological traces linking him to the crime scene. So she was protecting him from interacting with cops and ending up going to jail for that. Some of the potential suspects were not interviewed. Fair and Johnson had actually just met that night. He also successfully represented himself in a legal claim for an injury he sustained from handcuffs, receiving a $25,000 settlement from King County in 2017. Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. An online memorial for Arpana has been created, for family and friends to share pictures and memories, at crypticgirl.com. 14 years ago. According to reports, when lead Detective Brian Coats saw photos from the party, he narrowed in on Fair, who he referred to as theonly African-American male at the party on the podcast Suspect. Coats was asked during the podcast if the prior conviction was significant to his investigation. In Suspect, journalists Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson (Over My Dead Body) return to the Valley View Apartments and interview party guests and authorities about the horrific series of events stemming from Halloween 2008. On Thanksgiving, when he hadnt shown up to his familys dinner, Fair said an aunt called him to ask whether he was planning to come. Family of Missing Black Woman, Last Seen Living with Man She Met on Craigslist, Frustrated By Lack of Response to Case: Were Not Trying to Annoy Anybody, Happened As a Result of Jealousy: New York Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Stabbing Black 16-Year-Old Boy In the Heart for Walking a Girl Home, I Wanted to be a Trailblazer: Zandra Flemister, the First Black Woman Hired as a Secret Service Agent, Enduring Years of Blatant Racism, Dies at 71. Emanuel Fair: He was not a resident, but he was staying in the apartment of Leslie Potts. Unidentified male DNA was also found on a bruise on Jinagas wrist. But it seems Jinaga would quickly move on and return to enjoying the party. Detectives relied on her to help them find Jinagas missing phone and camera and consulted her about the potential of Fair as a suspect, the lawsuit says. The lawsuit alleges that a lighter was found in his apartment with a sticky substance on it, but investigators never collected it. There was DNA from 2-3 males found at the crime scene. Cameron Johnson: a neighbour of Jinaga: he showed up to the party in Jinaga's apartment late. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. Meanwhile they raided Emmanuels stuff and according to his best friend on the podcast took almost ALL of his things. An exclusive trailer for Suspect is below. He went on afterwards, he got his degree, hes never had a crime., Fair, who had only met the neighbor at the party that night, said prosecutors immunity deal was just another biased action taken to strengthen the case against him that backfired, because the neighbor didnt even implicate me, he implicated himself.. I am far from shady. DNA found at the crime scene was ultimately linked to three men, but only one was charged with murder. It was the combination of the various items that his DNA was on that pushed us to the point of saying we are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Emanuel Fair killed Arpana, Ehlert said in her podcast interview. Guests took silly photos, downed shots and smoked pot. There was forced entry into Jinaga's second-story apartment, signs of trauma to Jinaga and the apartment was in disarray. Johnson has denied any involvement in Jinagas death. He slept with Potts in her bed and woke up the next morning before 10 a.m., after which he helped her and other neighbors clean up the complex, according to the complaint. She was a brilliant person. On Halloween night, 2008, Jinaga and several other tenants hosted a Halloween party, attended by residents of the apartment complex and their relatives and friends from outside. I think that was the biggest reasonable doubt and no one could eliminate him [as the killer], the juror said of the neighbor. The man was the last person to call her the night she was killed, he tried to destroy evidence of the calls, and he attempted to go to Canada after the homicide but was turned away, he said. A spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office said in an email, we look forward to addressing these allegations in a public courtroom, and we are confident in our case.. DNA was found on a discarded bottle of motor oil (same bag as robe). Atlanta Black Star is a narrative company. After a background check revealed Fairs criminal record, including a third-degree child rape conviction, Fair quickly became the new prime suspect despite leads about the neighbor and other viable suspects, the suit states. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. Johnson said he heard moaning sounds coming from Jinagas apartment around 3 a.m., and he assumed she was having sex. In the intervening hours, neighbors who lived on either side of Jinagas apartment heard muffled moaning sounds but assumed she and a partner were having consensual sex. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients Now His Victims Are Speaking Out, Ex-Boyfriend of Missing Md. 2008, in Marshall . Several people were at the party before Jinagas murder, so the scene was full of various DNA samples. Not sure if there would be any visible damages. He went on afterwards, he got his degree, hes never had a crime., Fair, who had only met the neighbor at the party that night, said prosecutors immunity deal was just another biased action taken to strengthen the case against him that backfired, because the neighbor didnt even implicate me, he implicated himself.. Her hands were covered in blue toilet-bowl cleaner, her body and other items were covered in motor oil. To pass time, he said he read books, wrote letters and drew pictures. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. According to court documents, a neighbor who did not attend the party reported seeing a man with olive complexion and light stubble standing in Jinagas doorway, talking to someone inside around 3 a.m. Fair went inside Potts apartment between 2:30 and 3 a.m. after listening to music with Jinagas immediate neighbor Cameron Johnson. Fair, the second-longest-serving inmate in the downtown Seattle facility after being booked into jail in November 2010, was released Tuesday afternoon, three hours after the jury delivered its not-guilty verdict, according to a jail spokeswoman. His lawyers said he suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Condition of the apartment: Jinaga's bed had been stripped, a fleece blanket was partially burned and her comforter was found in soaked the bathroom bathtub. The lawsuit alleges that the department hired famous psychic medium Allison DuBois to help with the investigation around the time Fair was identified as the main suspect. Johnson also said that he had driven to Canada on the day after the Halloween party and that he had been denied entry. It is reported in Seattle Times that a third male's DNA was found on the bootlace, but it is not reported as such in the court documents. Her fingers and nails were cleaned and then covered in toilet bowl cleaner, and there was a heavy scent of bleach throughout the house. Because of this, a judge limited the scope of questions the man could be asked during the trial. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. Detectives also found a trace of his DNA on the front of Jinagas neck that was so small that it had to be sent to a specialized lab for review. They interrogated Fair on the car ride to the station without reading his rights. The result, it claims, was a biased probe that caused Fair to be arrested and charged without probable cause for a murder he did not commit.. A spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office said in an email, we look forward to addressing these allegations in a public courtroom, and we are confident in our case.. Some guests were rowdy, but nothing out of the ordinary, it says. Remembering Arpana Jinaga - this was the memorial DVD that was played at her funeral on October 6, 2008 in Bellevue, Washington. A third mans DNA was on a bootlace, also found in the trash, but he had an alibi. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/after-nearly-11-years-and-two-trials-killing-of-redmond-woman-remains-unsolved/, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/woman-found-dead-in-redmond-was-slain-police-say/, https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/petitions/96468-8%20Petition%20for%20Review.pdf, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/emanuel-fair-trial-lawsuit-dna-murder-charge-1330251/, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59393415bebafb202cc26aba/t/5f0237f32005f03d23c6d73a/1593980918922/Defense-Motion-to-Compel-Source-Code.pdf. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. If you have probable cause, you dont go to a psychic, he said. At one time, Emanuel Fair was the longest-serving inmate in the King County Jail, spending nine years behind bars without being convicted of a crime. After-the-fact contentions about inadmissible evidence are a little disingenuous, said Dreveskracht, Fairs attorney, who noted police at one point consulted with a psychic medium who attempted to contact Jinaga beyond the grave. He also heard a thud on the floor but figured she was alright when he heard water running shortly after the noise. Police believe she was killed around 8 a.m. Two days later, a friend of Jinagas father went to check up on her because she hadnt answered phone calls from her family in India. To contaminate evidence, Jinagas hands had been doused in blue toilet-bowl cleaner and her body covered in motor oil. But as they worked through the evidence, jurors came to believe the state had not met its burden of proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt, said the juror, a 35-year-old Bellevue software engineer who asked not to be named to protect his privacy, It was tough for us to vote not guilty because the family still doesnt know exactly who killed her, the juror said. This was mainly on the basis of party photographs. On the evening of Oct. 31, 2008, Arpana Jinaga, a 24-year-old software engineer and Indian immigrant, co-hosted the holiday get-together at the Valley View Apartments in Redmond, a suburb of Seattle. Brian Coats, who led the investigation into Jinagas murder as a detective 13 years ago. They also waited days to search a dumpster in the complex where a partial bottle of motor oil, a boot lace used to strangle Jinaga and her bed sheet and a bath robe were found. The following Monday, her body would be discovered inside of her apartment, the victim of an apparent homicide. The officers allegedly did not change gloves between evidence collections, or between rooms or locations. I think he may have been involved; I think he may have lied to us, Ehlert said of the neighbor. They also want him to be reimbursed for the attorney fees he incurred while fighting the charges. In a 2020 interview, one of the prosecutors said Fair looked like the best suspect because his DNA was found on objects specifically related to the murder, not the aftermath. All the while, Fair, whose family was unable to foot his seven-figure bail, said he had faith he would one day walk away free from a charge alleging he murdered Arpana Jinaga, 24, in her Redmond apartment after a Halloween party in 2008. The lawsuit says that Johnson also had a past of strange or violent behavior with women. At approximately 8 am, Jinaga's next-door neighbor Kyle Rose, was awakened by sounds coming from her apartment. After her graduation, she got a job as a software engineer at EMC, in a suburb of Seattle. He scrubbed his phone right after the interrogation, the lawsuit says. More than a dozen people passed through Jinaga's apartment that night. . The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. Detectives interviewed Fair three times in jail before the district attorney recommended a first-degree murder against him. All the while, Fair, whose family was unable to foot his seven-figure bail, said he had faith he would one day walk away free from a charge alleging he murdered Arpana Jinaga, 24, in her. A man by the name of Emanuel Fair was arrested in connection with her murder, but he has since been found not guilty of the crime. Jinaga had been gagged, brutally beaten and most likely raped. And thats hard.. He was read his rights. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. He had been in her apartment once earlier in the night too. He said evidence about Jinagas neighbor raised significant questions for the jury. Ive never seen a worse case, Corinne Sebren, one of Fairs lawyers, who specializes in civil rights cases, told Rolling Stone in a recent interview. They also failed to look for evidence of a missing bootlace. As her next-door neighbor this would have been obvious. I lost a lot. After a background check revealed Fairs criminal record, including a third-degree child rape conviction, Fair quickly became the new prime suspect despite leads about the neighbor and other viable suspects, the suit states. After hosting her event, software programmer, Arpana Jinaga, was found dead inside her home. We were limited in the way we were able to argue the case and we have to live with that We try cases and we accept we have to prove everything beyond a reasonable doubt. But I dont have a desire to do that. On Oct. 30, 2010, Fair was placed in a Seattle holding cell while detectives gathered more evidence against him for the 2008 sexual assault and murder of a 24-year-old software engineer and Indian immigrant named Arpana Jinaga. Her removed tampon alone had three separate unidentified male DNA profiles on it, according to Rolling Stones investigation. Prior to that, she had attended Rutgers University on the east coast, but had grown up in the Indian city of Hyderabad as the oldest of two daughters. The medical examiner estimated Jinagas time of death was 8 a.m. He helped set up and clean up, and had no wounds, no scratches or injuries. According to the complaint, Johnsons fingerprints were found inside a window in Jinagas apartment, and his DNA was found on the motor oil bottle and a portion of wet carpet at the crime scene. According to residents of the apartment, Johnson appeared interested in Jinaga. Hes now struggling to reconstruct his life, Fair and his attorneys said. Arpana Jinaga Unresolved Arpana Jinaga In October of 2008, a 24-year-old computer programmer living in the Seattle area would attend a Halloween party in her apartment complex. Theyre still crying about it 10 years later and they will be for the rest of their lives because it was such a horrible thing.. Fair said he went inside Jinagas apartment various times throughout the party. At age 20, Jinaga moved from her native India to the United States and quickly found success. I just dont want to be around nobody, he said. According to the Rolling Stone report, most of the people at the party that night didnt remember Fairs name. Her arm and a blanket also were partially burned and her comforter was soaking in a bathtub. Brian Coats, who led the investigation into Jinagas murder as a detective 13 years ago. Fair, a guest of another woman living in the building, met Jinaga and her neighbor that night. Redmond Police have found no "firm suspects" in the brutal murder of Arpana Jinaga, a 24-year-old software engineer who was . The party lasted until the early hours. After the sound stopped, Rose then heard steps and the sound of running water for 1 hour. The complaint alleges that police failed to properly secure and gather evidence. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. Arpana was last seen in the early morning of Nov. 1 during a Halloween . Jinagas neighbor, Johnson, was the prime suspect at first, as described in Fairs lawsuit documents. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India. He also heard a thud on the floor but figured she was alright when he heard water running shortly after the noise. I hope I never have to investigate a case like this again.. Most of the partygoers reportedly referred to the chocolate-skinned man as the Black guy in his police file. According to the Rolling Stone report, most of the people at the party that night didnt remember Fairs name. He was her pimp, or as the podcast preferred to describe it, the person who placed craiglist ads for her escort services. According to court documents, Johnson called Jinaga around 3 a.m. but did not mention that to the police during his interview. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. The evidence of Fairs involvement is compelling, Larson said this week. Johnson engaged in a number of suspicious activities after the murder. It was the second time Fair had been tried in connection with Jinagas killing: The first time, in 2017, the jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. But I dont have a desire to do that. She had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. The prosecutors office told Rolling Stone: We look forward to addressing these allegations in a public courtroom; we stand by our case., Fair said that he was reluctant to file the lawsuit at first because Jinagas family still hasnt gotten justice: theres no resolution for this case, no resolution for her.. Arpana Jinaga. Detectives interviewed Fair three times in jail before the district attorney recommended a first-degree murder against him. On Oct. 31, 2008, 24-year-old Arpana Jinaga dressed up in a Little Red Riding Hood costume and prepared for a Friday night to remember. The lawsuit alleges there was heavy drinking at the party of 40 to 50 people. He waited in jail while authorities tested his DNA. A new true-crime podcast from Campside Media and Wondery delves into the brutal unsolved murder nearly 13 years and two trials later. He also successfully represented himself in a legal claim for an injury he sustained from handcuffs, receiving a $25,000 settlement from King County in 2017. No one cleaning up reported seeing anything suspicious. His first trial, in 2017, ended in a hung jury because one juror said Fair looked like a thug with tattoos on his hands. The jury in the second trial acquitted him. As a teenager, Jinaga won a top prize in an international computer programming competition. During the night, neighbors of Jinaga heard muffled moaning sounds, and assumed she and a partner were having consensual sex. Court files said there were also burn marks from an attempt to set the body or apartment on fire. The complaint alleges that police failed to properly secure and gather evidence. Do we know he would have routinely passed her door going in and out of his apartment? Fairs lawsuit includes many of the same facts that his public defender, Ben Goldsmith, used to poke holes in the prosecutions criminal case. Jinaga showed Fair and other partygoers something on her computer on another occasion. Suspect: With Matthew Shaer, Eric Benson, Matt Baglio, Ashley Fantz. Potts had not known Fair for a long time. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinagas death, and his DNA was reportedly never compared to the crime scene. beansbaxter. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. When youre in jail, you dont have a holiday. On Tuesday, that man, Emanuel Fair, 35, was found not guilty of first-degree murder with sexual motivation by a King County jury. Perhaps the perpetrator(s) kicked in the door, then while leaving they shut it again. Then, due to inexcusable delays in Fairs trial and prolonged pretrial detention, he spent more than nine years in the King County Correctional Facility as an innocent man, in conditions of inhumane confinement that are well known to have a detrimental effect on mental health, the suit contends. Investigators said the lower half of the womans body was covered in motor oil. Jinaga, a 24-year-old software engineer from India, had attended Rutgers University, won an international software award and was a rising star at the Bellevue company where she worked. A recent immigrant from India and a graduate of Rutgers University, Jinaga had worked at EMC in Bellevue. All the while, Fair, whose family was unable to foot his seven-figure bail, said he had faith he would one day walk away free from a charge alleging he murdered Arpana Jinaga, 24, in her. According to court documents, a neighbor who did not attend the party reported seeing a man with olive complexion and light stubble standing in Jinagas doorway, talking to someone inside around 3 a.m. Fair went inside Potts apartment between 2:30 and 3 a.m. after listening to music with Jinagas immediate neighbor Cameron Johnson. Were they old friends? The party was big enough that it spanned multiple apartments and drew many revelers. By Bill Christianson January 8, 2009 5:35 pm. Ehlert also defended an immunity deal with the suspected neighbor, and the decision to solely prosecute Fair for first-degree murder with sexual motivation a charge that hinged mostly on trace DNA collected from a crime scene teeming with genetic evidence linked to multiple people. As a man who was incarcerated and released but not convicted, Fair left jail without the support and resources typically offered to exonerated people or parolees, such as job support and mental health services. Ive never seen a worse case, Corinne Sebren, one of Fairs lawyers, who specializes in civil rights cases, told Rolling Stone in a recent interview. In her spare time, she practiced taekwondo, learned to build her own motorcycle, and volunteered with neighbourhood groups. Fair was staying with his friend Leslie Potts on Oct. 31, 2008, in Valley View Apartments when he attended the party that Potts and other neighbors organized. When Johnson found out Fair liked hip hop and wrote beats, Johnson invited him to his car to listen to some electronic music he had made. He told detectives he had a desire to explore. Canadian officials said Johnson tried to blow through the gates. She practiced martial arts and participated in a motorcycle club. He matched the description of the man the other resident saw around 3 a.m. at the murdered womans door and had a wide window of suspicion around him, the lawsuit alleges. They messed up, he said. . To just dismiss it as racism is ridiculous. I lost a lot. There was potential there that was just taken away., Citing pending litigation, a city of Redmond spokesperson declined to comment about Fairs lawsuit on behalf of Coats and the citys Police Department. Nobody heard from her in the following days, and that Monday, her body was discovered on the floor of her apartment, doused in chemicals and showing signs of strangulation. Preliminary reports said Arpana may have died on Friday evening. Coats is now a captain in the department. The lawsuit says that Johnson also had a past of strange or violent behavior with women. Maybe they realized only at the last minute that they should get rid of the sheets and empty oil bottle and without anyone seeing them do it? Ehlert, in the 2020 interview, noted prosecutors were barred from including some key evidence at trial: Fairs past convictions and the possibility that he and the neighbor acted together in Jinagas killing because there wasnt evidence to support that theory a decision upheld by the state Court of Appeals after Fairs first trial. That decision was upheld by the state Court of Appeals following Fairs first trial. The result, it claims, was a biased probe that caused Fair to be arrested and charged without probable cause for a murder he did not commit.. Jinaga, a 24-year-old software engineer from India, had attended Rutgers University, won an international software award and was a rising star at the Bellevue company where she worked. Most people left Jinaga's apartment after 9pm to move to another apartment. . There was evidence of rape. Some of the potential suspects were not interviewed. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. So what else can they do but to continue to point their finger at me?. He told detectives he had a desire to explore. Canadian officials said Johnson tried to blow through the gates. The neighbor invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Larson said. Investigators focused on Fair after seeing him in photos of the party. Her arm and a blanket also were partially burned and her comforter was soaking in a bathtub. Around 2:30 am, Fair and Johnson went to Johnson's apartment and then down to Johnson's car to listen to music. According to court records and Chief Criminal Deputy Mark Larson, prosecutors were barred from arguing that Fair and the neighbor were both involved in Jinagas killing because there wasnt evidence to support the states theory the men acted as accomplices. Fairs 23-page complaint, filed last month by his attorney, Ryan Dreveskracht, contends police and prosecutors botched the probe and wrongly targeted him because he was a Black man with a criminal record, despite evidence implicating Jinagas then-neighbor, who is white. In the apartment complex's trash bin, was a bag containing Jinaga's Halloween costume, a bloodied robe, a discarded bottle of motor oil, and the bootlace. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds. Fairs attorneys contend that some of the DNA evidence was not an exact match. Fair was later seen leaving the apartment that night. Fairs lawsuit includes many of the same facts that his public defender, Ben Goldsmith, used to poke holes in the prosecutions criminal case. "Choices that, once made, are difficult to reverse.".
Accident In Tolland, Ct Today,
Vintage Original Bowie Knife,
Horsetooth Reservoir Cliff Jumping Accident,
Articles A