Man was beaten before his throat was cut, Paso Robles police say

5-1-2012 California:

Search warrant from slaying is revealed in court papers; victim’s death reportedly was revenge for alleged sexual assaults

Inside a hotel room in Paso Robles last summer, police found a dead man, lying face down on a bed, in a pool of blood. His throat was slashed, his chest and stomach were cut, and the left side of his face was crushed.

A conspiracy to beat the man and take his drugs apparently turned deadly when two members of a group returned after an assault on him and one of them allegedly sliced the man’s throat.

Four people suspected of the crime allegedly talked on the night of the attack about how the victim — 55-year-old Robert Kenichi Uyeno — had reportedly locked women up in his bedroom and raped them.

The Paso Robles Police Department cited the allegations in a search warrant filed in April in San Luis Obispo Superior Court. Police sought permission from a judge to obtain “buccal swabs” of the inner cheeks of each suspect to determine if the DNA samples match physical evidence and clothing they believe was used in the crime.

Three people — 33-year-old Alfonso “Pancho” Fierros, 30-year-old Tabatha Brown, 29-year-old Jennifer Velten — have pleaded not guilty to murder.

John Wesley Barrett, 42, was found mentally incompetent to stand trial and his case has been suspended, according to his attorney, Gael Mueller.

The warrant cites statements from female and male witnesses (who weren’t part of the criminal case) and two defendants, saying the four accused gathered at the Wine Country Inn in Paso Robles on the night of Aug. 21, where they consumed alcohol, heroin and methamphetamines.

They talked about how Uyeno had raped children and how wrong that was, the warrant states, though no specifics were noted about those claims. Uyeno doesn’t have a local criminal record of any sex crime.

A female witness told police that the suspects talked about how Uyeno had locked women in his bedroom, including Velten and Brown, and raped them, the warrant states.

A male witness also spoke with Brown, who said that Velten had complained that Uyeno hadn’t paid Velten for sex she performed, which led to their discussion about the claims of Uyeno’s history of sexual abuse.

The female witness told police the group became increasingly angry and she started to worry about what they’d do to Uyeno, urging them not to do anything because he was her friend.

The female witness eventually went back to her motel room because the group continued to speak badly of Uyeno, she told police.

Police described a conspiracy among the group that night to set up Uyeno and attack him.

The initial alleged plan was to beat up Uyeno and steal his drugs. Velten sent a text message to Uyeno saying she wanted to party with him in his room at the Farmhouse Motel in Paso Robles. Police later found a meth pipe and syringes at the scene.

The others then waited for a text by Velten from the room before Fierros and Barrett went to the motel while Brown waited in a truck. Inside the room, Barrett held Uyeno while Fierros pummeled him in the face and stomach with his fists for about two minutes, according to Barrett.

After the assault, Velten stole lotto tickets and methamphetamines, but Barrett told police he “did not steal anything because he did not like thieves,” according to the report, which paraphrases Barrett’s statements.

Barrett told police Uyeno’s pulse was strong and he was breathing when the group left to return to their motel. But Velten and Fierros returned to Uyeno’s motel room after Velten said she forgot her purse, Barrett told police.

When Velten and Fierros returned, Barrett told police he heard one of them say Fierros sliced the man’s throat.

Brown told police that Fierros later told her, after the incident, “now you know what kind of man I am.”

Defense attorneys representing the accused declined to comment about the case.

Velten’s attorney, Patrick Fisher, referred to it as an “ugly and unfortunate” case.

Fierros, Brown and Velten are scheduled to return to court May 17 for further proceedings. ..Source.. by Nick Wilson

First defendant pleads guilty in Alton slaying

1-14-2008 Illinois:

EDWARDSVILLE — One of four people accused in the brutal death of an Alton man, who was beaten and then slain, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Monday.

Eric J. Swisher, 37, of the 3200 block of Belle Street in Alton, pleaded guilty in Madison County Circuit Court to one count of first-degree murder, said Stephanee Smith, spokeswoman for the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to ask for a sentence of no more than 30 years in prison. Swisher will be sentenced in about six to eight weeks.

Swisher, along with Terry A. Ballinger, 20, of the 3100 block of Paul Street in Alton, and Kevin M. Scott, also known as “K-9,” 34, of Wellston, Mo., were charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping in Madison County Circuit Court. Sherman L. Crockett, 25, of St. Louis, also was charged in the case with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping, a Class X felony.

Swisher’s three co-defendants still are awaiting trial, Smith said.

Charges state they repeatedly hit, kicked and stomped on Ernest V. Walker, 41, of the 1300 block of Alby Street in Alton, and then slit his throat. They also are accused of holding Walker against his will. The incidents occurred during the evening hours last Feb. 22.

Walker’s body was found two days later in a vacant lot in Wellston, in North St. Louis County. His body was covered by an abandoned car seat. ..more.. by STEPHANIE KISZCZAK and SANFORD J. SCHMIDT

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Fourth man charged in killing
7-13-2007 Illinois:

ALTON — A fourth man was charged Friday with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the February beating death of a man at the Alton Acres public housing complex.

The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Sherman L. Crockett, 25, of St. Louis, with the Feb. 22 killing of Ernest V. Walker, 41, of the 1300 block of Alby Street in Alton. Crockett was charged in the criminal information with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping, a Class X felony.

No bond was set for Crockett, who remained at large Friday, authorities said.

Another man charged March 1 with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the killing was arrested on a felony warrant Saturday in Hennepin County, Minn., while hiding in the Minneapolis area.

Lt. David Hayes, chief of detectives for the Alton Police Department, said the Ramsey County (Minn.) Sheriff’s Office had notified the Madison County Sheriff’s Department that they had Kevin M. “K-9” Scott, 27, of Wellston, in custody.

“Sgt. Gary Cranmer and Detective Pete Vambaketes on Monday morning flew to Minnesota,” Hayes said. “They interviewed Mr. Scott, and it was very productive and fruitful. It has confirmed all the evidence we had against Mr. Scott and the other defendants and shed light on another suspect.”

Alton Police Chief Chris Sullivan said Scott provided information that allowed detectives to more solidly piece together the chain of events in the homicide that began in Alton and ended with a mortally beaten Walker being dumped in a lot in Wellston in North St. Louis County.

Authorities believe Walker was killed because of “alleged sexual abuse of a family member of one of the defendants,” Sullivan said.

Charges filed March 1 in Madison County Circuit Court say three men repeatedly hit, kicked and stomped on Walker and slit his throat Feb. 22 outside his girlfriend’s apartment at Alton Acres and confined him against his will.

The men then drove Walker to Wellston and dumped him under an abandoned car seat in an empty lot. His body was found Feb. 24.

Besides Scott and Crockett, the other men charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping in Walker’s death are Terry A. Ballinger, of the 3100 block of Paul Street in Alton, and Eric J. Swisher, of the 3200 block of Belle Street in Alton.

Scott’s girlfriend at the time, Sigrid L. Hickman, of the 3100 block of Belle Street, was charged with concealment of a homicidal death. She was accused of destroying physical evidence of the slaying and providing a car for transporting Walker after the attack.

Sullivan said Walker was to be extradited at any time from Minnesota to the Madison County Jail in Edwardsville. ..more.. by LINDA N. WELLER, The Telegraph

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SEE ALSO: In another case this year, Ernest V. Walker, 41, was kicked, stomped, beaten and his throat cut at Alton Acres public housing complex Feb. 22, then dumped in Wellston, Mo., where authorities believe he died. Three people were charged with first-degree murder and a fourth with concealment of a homicidal death in that case.

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Defendant found guilty in Alton man's killing

10-28-2008 Illinois:

EDWARDSVILLE - A judge took about a minute Thursday to find a Missouri man guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the beating death of an Alton man after the defendant's former girlfriend testified against him.

Associate Judge James Hackett of Madison County Circuit Court returned the guilty verdicts in the non-jury trial of Kevin Scott, 34, of Wellston, Mo.

"I think he deserves what he got, but I think they all deserve the death penalty," said Keith Walker, the twin brother of victim Ernest V. Walker, 41.

Keith Walker said Scott and the other defendants tried to lure him into the same fate as his brother got.

"They said, ‘Come get me,'" said Mattie Bennett, the victim's mother.

The verdict came after Sigrid Hickman, the former girlfriend of the defendant, testified to seeing Scott and other suspects put the victim in the trunk of her car and drive off to Wellston.

Scott's defense attorney, Tim Berkley, claimed his client was threatened and was justified in punching Ernest Walker in the face just outside an Alton Acres apartment on Feb. 22, 2005. He said Scott took no part in the susequent fatal beating of Walker in Wellston, where the victim's body was dumped.

However, only one witness reported seeing Walker with a knife, and it was not taken out of the victim's pocket. It was showing from inside the pocket.

Walker, 41, of the 1300 block of Alby Street, Alton, got into a ruckus with several men at a party after he allegedly groped the girlfriend and daughter of the defendant, also known as "K-9."

Walker's body was found hidden beneath a car seat in a vacant lot in Wellston a few days after the beating. Authorities said the defendants, including Scott, allegedly took turns beating Walker in the face with the butt of a gun while in Wellston.

However, the incident started at the party in Alton, and witnesses testified Tuesday to seeing Scott punch the victim in the face, knocking him out cold. They also testified to seeing several young men carrying "the body" to the trunk of a car.

Scott, who waived his right to a jury trial, is one of four men charged in the death of Walker. Hickman also has been charged with concealing Walker's death by destroying physical evidence and providing a car for transporting the victim out of Alton. She is awaiting trial, and prosecutors have made no deal in exchange for her testimony.

Eric J. Swisher of the 3200 block of Belle Street, Alton, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Terry A. Ballinger of the 3100 block of Paul Street, Alton, is awaiting trial. Sherman L. Crockett, of St. Louis, has been charged but remains at large.

The death came to light when Wellston police discovered the body and identified Walker through fingerprints.

Police did a neighborhood canvass around the public housing complex and developed several witnesses who saw different parts of what went on.

Scott faces a possible sentence of 20 to 60 years for the first-degree murder conviction and between six and 30 years for the aggravated kidnapping. The terms would run consecutively. ..Source.. by SANFORD J. SCHMIDT

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From the court record of Kevin Scott's trial:

The oldest girl saw Ernest touch her younger sister's buttocks as he hugged her, and she immediately went to tell her mother what she had seen. Sherman Crockett was within earshot and overheard the conversation. Sigrid asked the defendant to tell Ernest to leave. She told the defendant that she did not approve of the way Ernest was acting. She did not tell him that Ernest had inappropriately touched one of her daughters. That information was provided to the defendant by someone else.

It looks like someone stretched the "touch [maybe a pat]" to "grabbing of the girl's butt," its no wonder the court gave out long sentences.

Registered Sex Offender Killed In Home

7-27-2007 Texas:

40-year-old Michael Murray was a successful insurance salesman, TCU graduate and registered sex offender. His body was found by Fort Worth Police Wednesday evening inside his house in the 4600 block of Shadow Drive, near Ridglea Country Club.

Police say Murray’s throat had been cut, and are investigating his death as a homicide.

In March a Tarrant County judge placed Murray on deferred adjudication with 10 years probation for indecency with a child. Murray’s attorney says the judge’s ruling stems from an incident with a 15-year-old girl which occurred in April of 2006.

Records indicate Murray was divorced and has two young children.

Fort Worth police say Murray’s 2004 Chevy Tahoe was involved in a separate incident early Monday morning in which the driver, 24-year-old Robbie Scott, was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault of a police officer. Investigators are trying to determine if the incident with Murray’s vehicle and his death may have been related.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner is expected to complete an autopsy on Murray’s body before the weekend. It will help determine when Murray was killed, and could help investigators find the person responsible for his death. ..more.. by

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Police probe suspicious death of sex offender
7-26-2007 Texas

FORT WORTH — Police are investigating the suspicious death of a man who was recently placed on probation for fondling a teenaged girl.

Authorities said Michael Murray's ex-wife found him dead inside his upscale Fort Worth home.

Neighbor Shelly Mocio said she came outside after she heard sirens. When she exited her home, she said she could see the woman surrounded by officers crying in front of his home.

"The ex-wife was sitting in front, quite hysterical," Mocio said. "She had obviously broken a window and then called 911."

Authorities said officers first suspected suicide, but said when detectives arrived they reached a different conclusion.

"They were able to examine his body; and sure enough, his throat had been cut and led investigators to believe it was not a suicide, but a homicide," said Dean Sullivan.

In March, Murray began serving probation for fondling a teenage girl. Under the terms of his probation, Murray was wearing a monitor at the time of his death.

Authorities said that monitor now may provide information about his activities and help detectives solve the case.

Police said they also have one other clue in the case. Officers stopped and questioned a man they caught driving his Tahoe on Monday. ..more.. by CHRIS HAWES / WFAA-TV

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Sex offender found dead in his home
7-27-2007 Texas
FORT WORTH -- A woman who was concerned that she had not heard from her ex-husband went to his west Fort Worth home Wednesday night and discovered him dead, face down on the floor, police said.

Patrol officers called to the home in the 4100 block of Shadow Drive, not far from Ridglea Country Club, initially thought that Michael G. Murray, 40, had committed suicide because his arm was apparently cut and because of problems in his life, including a recent petition to revoke his probation. Murray was a registered sex offender.

But when homicide detectives and investigators from the Tarrant County medical examiner's office turned over the body, they saw that his throat had been cut, said Lt. Dean Sullivan, a Fort Worth police spokesman.

"That did not appear, in any way, to be a self-inflicted wound," Sullivan said.

The house showed no signs of forced entry, but there were indications of burglary or robbery, Sullivan said, and Murray's 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe was missing.

Police later found that the Tahoe had been impounded two days earlier after officers pulled over a 24-year-old man driving the SUV in the 5600 block of Wellesley Avenue shortly after 1 a.m. Monday.

As the officer approached the Tahoe, he saw the driver hide something between the seat and console, Sullivan said. When the officer ordered the man to show his hands, the driver pulled the officer into the open window and tried to drive off, Sullivan said.

The officer put the SUV in park and broke off the key. The driver tried to run away but was caught and shocked with a Taser after he continued to be combative, Sullivan said.

Officers found drug paraphernalia and what they suspect is crack cocaine inside the Tahoe.

Police tried to contact Murray to tell him that his SUV had been found, but they couldn't reach him.

Investigators are questioning the man found driving the Tahoe about Murray's death, Sullivan said. No official action has been taken against him, he said.

The driver remained in the Mansfield Jail on Thursday afternoon charged with aggravated assault of a public servant and evading arrest.

Tarrant County court records show that Murray was placed on 10 years' deferred adjudication probation in March for fondling a 15-year-old girl.

He was arrested in June after prosecutors filed a petition to revoke his probation. Prosecutor Christy Jack said the motion was filed after a surprise search of Murray's home, which was allowed under his probation terms, uncovered sexually explicit material including a magazine, DVD and images, and found indications that Murray had accessed a prohibited Web site.

Murray was released from the Tarrant County Jail on June 13 on $5,000 bail with conditions that included no contact with minors and no computer access, court records show. ..more.. by DEANNA BOYD

Gay porn producer slain

Coroner says Bryan Charles Kocis had been stabbed to death. Fire may have been set in attempt to cover up killing, police say.

1-26-2007 Pennsylvania:
DALLAS TWP. – A convicted sex offender who owned a company that produced gay pornographic movies was dead at the time a fire ripped through his township home, authorities said.

The burned body of Bryan Charles Kocis, 44, also known as Bryan Phillips, was found by firefighters Wednesday night after they responded to the blaze at his home at 60 Midland Drive. The fire was reported around 8:30 p.m.

Kocis was identified by dental records during an autopsy on Thursday, Luzerne County Coroner Dr. John Consalvo said. He ruled the death a homicide.

Consalvo said Kocis died from multiple stab wounds and was dead before the fire broke out. The coroner based his determination on the absence of burnt particles in the victim’s pharyngeal airway and lungs.

“There were multiple stab wounds to the body, to the torso and neck, and we believe that the victim was dead at the time of the fire,” Consalvo said at a Thursday afternoon news conference at the Dallas Township Police Department.

Autopsy results couldn’t determine how long Kocis was dead before the fire started, Consalvo said.

District Attorney David W. Lupas and state police Lt. Frank Hackin, the criminal investigation unit supervisor for Troop P, said Kocis’ background and his business is being looked at as a motive to his murder.

Kocis’ company, Cobra Video, with an address on the Dallas Memorial Highway, produces and sells gay pornographic movies. Established in 2001, the company sells films and clothing on its Web site, www.cobravideo.com.

When police raided Kocis’ home during a 2001 child pornography investigation, they seized video cameras, photos, magazines, computer discs and more than 600 videos and uncovered a video production studio in Kocis’ basement.

“We’re definitely interested in any people he associated with,” Hackin said. “We need to know as much about this victim as we can, his timeline, people he’s been associated with, people he’s been talking to. The victim’s past is going to lead us to solve this crime.”

Hackin said it’s a strong possibility that the fire was set to cover up Kocis’ killing.

Neighbor Jennifer Hughes said Kocis kept to himself, and had many friends visit his home, mostly young males. Kocis also had parties at his house and would sit in a hot tub on his deck with friends, Hughes said.

“I knew what he was involved in unfortunately, it was not nice at all,” Hughes said. “All the time we saw him he would wear the same aviator glasses, baseball cap and jeans. He wouldn’t say hello to anybody. He would just keep to himself.

“I know his background so I’m not totally shocked. He had boys over all the time, young boys,” she said.

A witness said a white or silver sport utility vehicle was seen leaving Kocis’ driveway at the same time smoke alarms were heard sounding inside the home.

“My daughter’s friend saw a SUV back out of the driveway and when she got out of her car, she heard smoke alarms go off,” Hughes said.

Kocis was arrested on several felony and misdemeanor sex offenses, including the July 2001 rape of a 15-year-old boy from South Whitehall Township.

The boy told authorities that he met Kocis in a gay Internet chat room. Kocis took the boy to his home in May and early June 2001, where they engaged in sexual acts that Kocis videotaped, according to court records.

All of the charges were dropped except for a single count of sexual abuse of children. Kocis was sentenced in May 2002 to one year probation.

On Thursday, state criminal investigators and fire marshals combed the remains of Kocis’ charred home and removed evidence, including a box of gay pornographic movies.

Several investigators could be seen through a large broken window concentrating their search at the front of the home.

Hackin wouldn’t say where inside the home Kocis was found, and declined comment on whether investigators know how the fire was started.

Cobra Video filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of California for breach of contract and trademark violations against an actor in several of its movies. The actor appeared in four Cobra Video titles while underage and forged documents in order to work for the studio, the suit alleges.

A settlement conference involving the suit is scheduled for Feb. 21. ..more.. by EDWARD LEWIS

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Two face porn-boss murder charges

11-7-2007:

Adult film's Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes will be extradited Thursday for trial in the death of porn producer Bryan Charles Kocis.

Two alleged escorts from Virginia are facing murder changes for the brutal killing of gay porn producer Bryan Charles Kocis.

In January, Bryan Charles Kocis, 44, was found dead in his burning home in Dallas Township, Penn. Although his body was badly burned, a coroner ruled that he had been stabbed and his throat slashed. Dental records were used to prove his identity.

Harlow Cuadra, 25, and Joseph Kerekes, 33, will be extradited Thursday from Virginia, where they have been jailed, to Pennsylvania for the court case.

Cuadra and Kerekes are charged with homicide, accomplice to murder, burglary, robbery, arson, theft, tampering with evidence, abuse of corpse and criminal conspiracy to commit such crimes.

They were arrested in May after evidence found on Kocis' computer (which survived the fire) revealed that Cuadra arranged a meeting Kocis the night of the killing.

Described to investigators as "flashy and flamboyant," the suspects were apparently rising stars in the gay porn industry. Police claim that the motive of the killing had to do with Kocis' rival porn company. The pair were keen to hire Kocis' lead actor Sean Lockhart, 19.

Cuadra and Kerekes lived together in a $500,000 home in Virginia Beach and "enjoyed exotic vehicles and extravagant dinners, and traveled the country making contacts for their escort and adult video businesses," prosecutors claim.

"It was obvious these were two individuals who led an extravagant lifestyle and followed through with it in all facets of their life," police Cpl. Leo Hannon said.

Kocis' company, Cobra Video, produces and sells gay porn, specializing in bareback films starring twinks. Titles include "Brent Corrigan's Fuck Me Raw," "A Boy's Raw Urges" and "Bareback Twink Orgy."

In 2001, police raided Kocis' home as part of a child pornography investigation and seized video cameras, photos, magazines, computer discs and more than 600 videos.

At the time of Kocis' death, neighbor Jennifer Hughes commented that he wasn't the most pleasant of neighbors, and that he was notorious for hosting large gay parties.

"I knew what he was involved in, unfortunately, it was not nice at all," Hughes said.

"All the time we saw him he would wear the same aviator glasses, baseball cap and jeans. He wouldn't say hello to anybody. He would just keep to himself.

"I know his background so I'm not totally shocked. He had boys over all the time, young boys," she said. ..Source..

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Harlow Cuadra Spared Death Penalty, Gets Life with No Parole

3-17-2009:

A jury deadlocked over death penalty sentencing means Harlow Cuadra will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole for the brutal murder of rival porn producer Bryan Kocis in 2007.

Kocis' neck was slashed before being stabbed 28 times and burned over 90 percent of his body by a fire set to cover up the murder. Cuadra's co-conspirator and former lover Joseph Kerekes is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty at an earlier date. The jury deliberated over Cuadra's sentencing for five hours. Cuadra eventually received two consecutive life sentences. ..Source..