Jinaga had been gagged with her underpants and duct tape, brutally beaten around the head. Emanuel Fair stayed in the King County Correctional Facility for nearly nine years for a crime he did not commit based on a botched and bizarre murder investigation driven by racial discrimination, a recent lawsuit alleges. I dont think he killed Arpana. She. It was a party, Fair was all over her apartment like EVERYONE ELSE. They interrogated Fair on the car ride to the station without reading his rights. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. Jinaga was. I covered for Emanuel because at the time I thought he was my friend, not because I was trying to cover for him for something he may or may not have done. Around 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, Jinaga left a gathering in a ground-floor apartment and returned to her apartment on the third floor. 14 years ago. I lost a lot. Fighting for justice: Two public defenders worked for years to get Her finger and fingernails were cleaned. Investigators focused on Fair after seeing him in photos of the party. Around 2:30 am, Fair and Johnson went to Johnson's apartment and then down to Johnson's car to listen to music. Fair ultimately was charged based on trace DNA evidence found on Jinagas neck; a piece of duct tape used to gag her; paper found in the apartment; and mixed with Jinagas blood on a robe recovered from the apartment buildings dumpster. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinagas death, and his DNA was reportedly never compared to the crime scene. Fairs DNA was found on Jinagas robe and a roll of duct tape that was likely used to tape her underwear inside her mouth like a gag. Police let Johnson go after his questioning. Fair and Johnson had actually just met that night. 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. Those are times when you should be around family. I thought I was gonna die, Fair told Rolling Stone. The Murder of Arpana Jinaga, The Stickiest Heist In History - WVXU 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. The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. Ben Goldsmith and Katharine Edwards advanced a straightforward theory about why Emanuel Fair should be acquitted in the murder of Arpana Jinaga, whose body was found in her Redmond apartment on Nov. 1, 2008. The lawsuit also says Fair threw garbage in the dumpster where the robe and other items were found while helping with party clean up. Her fingers and nails were cleaned and then covered in toilet bowl cleaner, and there was a heavy scent of bleach throughout the house. So what else can they do but to continue to point their finger at me?. Johnson was hanging out near Jinagas apartment when her friend arrived to check on her, and he helped the family friend identify the body, the lawsuit alleges. Sunshine(2018) - New episodes of the nine-part series will be released weekly on Tuesdays. Two days later, after Jinaga hadnt shown up to work or returned calls to her family in India, a family friend and Jinagas next-door neighbor found her door kicked in and her nude body on her bedroom floor. His lawyers said the ordeal has permanently damaged Fairs reputation, his emotional well-being, livelihood and relationships. 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. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. There were also other men in Jinagas life that detectives suspected of the murder, and some of their DNA was found at the crime scene. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. His phone records revealed that he had called Jinaga at 3am on the night of the murder, but he stated he did not remember making the calls. Suspect is an investigative series about mislaid justice and the kinds of weighty decisions that detectives, lawyers, and jurors make every day - decisions that, once made, are almost impossible to reverse.Season 2: Vanished in the Snow chronicles the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? The lawsuit alleges that a lighter was found in his apartment with a sticky substance on it, but investigators never collected it. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. She had it all going on, Coats said. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. After her graduation, she got a job as a software engineer at EMC, in a suburb of Seattle. True. As her next-door neighbor this would have been obvious. As a teenager, Jinaga won a top prize in an international computer programming competition. Most people left Jinaga's apartment after 9pm to move to another apartment. Johnson also said that he had driven to Canada on the day after the Halloween party and that he had been denied entry. and even burning of sheets, but then they would be so careless and stupid to just discard it all into the apartment dumpster. I fear and I worry that someone else may become a victim at some point in time, Ehlert said of Fairs acquittal during the 2020 interview. He attributed them to wrestling a stranger he met at another Halloween party the next day, the lawsuit alleges. Such remarks since his exoneration only demonstrate authorities defensiveness about mishandling the case, Fair said. Jinagas bruised body was discovered covered with a cloth on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. According to reports, Fair accepted a plea agreement in 2004 while still maintaining his innocence. So what else can they do but to continue to point their finger at me?. He scrubbed his phone after questioned about the call and could easily have hung around and taken time to clean her apartment/scrub the crime scene because their apartments shared a balcony and him taking out trash wouldn't strike anyone as weird or noticeable. However, phone records show that he was making many phone calls between 2am and 5am, including to Potts. Fairs lawsuit cites a comment Coats made during his interview for the Suspect podcast that Fair was the only African American at the party in the photos. He had a prior history of violent sexual crimes. The Murder of Arpana Jinaga, The Stickiest Heist In History, abnd The Crappiest Place on Earth Published December 28, 2021 at 12:01 AM EST Listen 12:50 To pass time, he said he read books, wrote letters and drew pictures. If you have probable cause, you dont go to a psychic, he said. 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. 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. In every community across Washington, families are facing the challenge of accessing and affording long-term care. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. Murder mystery continues nearly a year later: Redmond Police still have The neighbor initially neglected to tell detectives about phone calls he made to Jinaga at 3 a.m. Later on the morning of her slaying, he drove to the Canadian border and attempted to cross it without a passport but was denied entry. 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. 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. Emanuel Fair was arrested in 2010. After nine years of fighting, Emanuel Fair has the freedom he deserves. He also drove to Canada the day of the murder and attempted to cross the border without a passport. He waited in jail while authorities tested his DNA. Also Leslie Potts covering for Fair is alarming, was that investigated. He also heard a thud on the floor but figured she was alright when he heard water running shortly after the noise. It was a brutal scene. Preliminary reports said Arpana may have died on Friday evening. Halloween Party Host Murder Leads to Excess Suspects | Arpana Jinaga 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.. Fair said he went inside Jinagas apartment various times throughout the party. They act on impulse, not ration. When contacted by police, Leslie Potts falsely claimed that she was alone, even though Emanuel Fair was staying with her. Some guests were rowdy, but nothing out of the ordinary, it says. 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. 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. Was Kyle Rose ever questioned as a suspect? Fairs lawsuit includes many of the same facts that his public defender, Ben Goldsmith, used to poke holes in the prosecutions criminal case. So she was protecting him from interacting with cops and ending up going to jail for that. 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.. 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. Her apartment was decorated as a haunted forest, one of four themed areas at the Valley View that would welcome visitors for the Halloween party, which spanned multiple units in the complex. I hope I never have to investigate a case like this again.. They interrogated Fair on the car ride to the station without reading his rights. In it, Ehlert stood firmly by the prosecuting teams decisions. Fair also used Jinaga's bathroom. Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. He replied: If youve done it before, youll do it again.. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Fair said the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, is the closest thing to justice I can get.. Emanuel Fair stayed in the King County Correctional Facility for nearly nine years for a crime he did not commit based on a botched and bizarre murder investigation driven by racial discrimination, a recent lawsuit alleges. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. 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. It seems odd to me that the killer(s) would go to such extremes to cover up DNA on her body and in her apartment with the motor oil and toilet bowl cleaner and bleach etc. Jinagas neighbor, Johnson, was the prime suspect at first, as described in Fairs lawsuit documents. 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. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. Now working a security job and living with friends in Renton, he said hes often depressed, carries guilt for a younger brothers emotional troubles and avoids going out. The lawsuit also says Fair threw garbage in the dumpster where the robe and other items were found while helping with party clean up. Man jailed for nine years sues King County, Redmond after acquittal in In the investigation that followed, authorities scrambled to determine who would hurt the lovable young woman from India, a promising software programmer who volunteered at the local fire department and rode her motorcycle with friends in her free time. I fear and I worry that someone else may become a victim at some point in time, Ehlert said of Fairs acquittal during the 2020 interview. Detectives interviewed Fair three times in jail before the district attorney recommended a first-degree murder against him. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. 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. 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. 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. His lawyers said he suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. In her spare time, she practiced taekwondo, learned to build her own motorcycle, and volunteered with neighbourhood groups. His legal team expanded the lawsuit in late March, adding ten more pages of allegations and the prosecutor on the case and other detectives that handled the case to the list of defendants. At some point, though, things turned tense. The following Monday, her body would be discovered inside of her apartment, the victim of an apparent homicide. 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. Do we know from the OP that it would have been obvious? In addition, several neighbors in the complex told investigators that he had a sexual attraction to Jinaga, and he exhibited jealous behavior when she talked to other men at the Halloween party that night. Nearly a year later. Im out, Fair said. No one cleaning up reported seeing anything suspicious. She is suspected to have died from strangulation from a bootlace. Somewhere they could establish an alibi?) 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. Do we know how extensive the damage was? Jinaga had been gagged, brutally beaten and most likely raped. 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. This was mainly on the basis of party photographs. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. Its just another day. Second trial in killing of Redmond woman ends with not-guilty verdict 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. 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 said evidence about Jinagas neighbor raised significant questions for the jury. The party was big enough that it spanned multiple apartments and drew many revelers. A recent immigrant from India and a graduate of Rutgers University, Jinaga had worked at EMC in Bellevue. When asked about the calls, Johnson reportedly said, oh crap, but he could not remember why he called Jinaga. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. The county, police department and Coats filed a response to Fairs initial complaint refuting the claims. Hes now struggling to reconstruct his life, Fair and his attorneys said. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India. Poor victim was surrounded by shady people it seems. The party ended between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., around the same time witnesses saw Jinaga going back to her apartment. DNA from the neighbor was found on a motor oil bottle, and from another man who wasnt at the party on a bootlace likely used to strangle Jinaga. I dont think he killed Arpana. The neighbor initially neglected to tell detectives about phone calls he made to Jinaga at 3 a.m. Later on the morning of her slaying, he drove to the Canadian border and attempted to cross it without a passport but was denied entry. If you would like to share your thoughts or experiences in relation to this story, please email the reporter or, Fire on Lake City Way in Seattle raises smoke, flooding concerns, WA to end masking requirement in health care, correctional facilities, Tacoma woman refusing tuberculosis treatment continues to face arrest, Be bolder to get light rail done, expert panel tells Sound Transit, Driver makes U-turn, hits pedestrian near Pioneer Square, police say. Her other immediate neighbor, Kyle Rose, said he heard growling sounds around 8 a.m. His DNA was also found, he was sexually interested in her, called her around 3am and said oh crap when caught in the lie, also matched the description of the guy seen at her door at 3am. When asked about the calls, Johnson reportedly said, oh crap, but he could not remember why he called Jinaga. Redmond police Lt. Brian Coats vividly recalls all that he learned about Arpana Jinaga, a Redmond woman who was strangled in her apartment in 2008, her body doused with bleach, toilet-bowl cleaner and motor oil in an apparent attempt to destroy DNA evidence of rape. Subsequently, Johnson attempted to scrub his phone. The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. A Review of the 2008 Murder Mystery of Indian immigrant, Arpana Jinaga 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. It's obvious why Fair is the number one suspect. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. 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.. He was her pimp, or as the podcast preferred to describe it, the person who placed craiglist ads for her escort services. Suspect (Podcast Series 2021- ) - IMDb 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. Her father, a head professor of engineering in India, encouraged he to move to the US to attend Rutgers University. The medical examiner estimated Jinagas time of death was 8 a.m. -, Press J to jump to the feed. In the trial, the jury heard evidence that pointed to the neighbor as the possible killer. 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. They found her nude body on her bedroom floor, face-down on the carpet and partially covered with cloth. Cameron should have been the #1 suspect. Everyone seemed to have a good time, the lawsuit alleges. Suspect premieres Aug. 17 on Wondery+ and Aug. 31 wherever podcasts are streamed. I am far from shady. I lost a lot. Some of the potential suspects were not interviewed. 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.. Fair was initially arrested for not updating his address with his probation officer. To contaminate evidence, Jinagas hands had been doused in blue toilet-bowl cleaner and her body covered in motor oil. The two discovered her locked door had been kicked in. On the night of Oct. 31, 2008, Arpana Jinaga and her neighbors at the Valley View Apartments, in Redmond, Wash., threw a party to celebrate Halloween. 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. Woman Found Dead After Hosting Halloween Costume Party At Her Apartment Several people were at the party before Jinagas murder, so the scene was full of various DNA samples. 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. Court files said there were also burn marks from an attempt to set the body or apartment on fire. 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. Now working a security job and living with friends in Renton, he said hes often depressed, carries guilt for a younger brothers emotional troubles and avoids going out. His DNA was on the roll of duct tape found on the couch, not the tape that covered her face and according to the podcast there's a photo of him using the duct tape to hang up decorations so yea he touched it they already know that. 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. 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. Its got to be terrible for everybody it touched. However, when Fair emerged as a suspect, his treatment can only be viewed as racial discrimination, his attorneys allege. 2018Dion Wiyoko,Rianti Cartwright,Laura Basuki,Jill Gladys,Sheila Dara Aisha,Junior Liem,Alyndra PandjipoetraSunshine ,SunshineSunshinemp4SunshineBT . From the beginning, it was a complex case, complicated by the fact so many people had attended the party the night before she was killed, said Coats, the Redmond police lieutenant. In the apartment, there was a strong smell of bleach, and also bleach stains were found. Detectives interviewed Fair three times in jail before the district attorney recommended a first-degree murder against him. 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. Her fingers and nails were cleaned and then covered in toilet bowl cleaner, and there was a heavy scent of bleach throughout the house. 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. Death of Arpana being probed as homicide - DNA India Jinaga showed Fair and other partygoers something on her computer on another occasion. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India. 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. Unidentified male DNA was also found on a bruise on Jinagas wrist. The DNA on the motor oil and fleeing to Canada seems highly suspicious to me. This is the last known independent witness sighting of the pair. Ive been away for so long, I dont believe in holidays no more, he said. or felt they were? Investigators said the lower half of the womans body was covered in motor oil. Indian immigrant and recent college graduate Arpana Jinaga was found brutally murdered in her Washington State apartment after co-hosting a Halloween costume party at her complex the evening of Oct. 31, 2008. 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. Johnson was hanging out near Jinagas apartment when her friend arrived to check on her, and he helped the family friend identify the body, the lawsuit alleges. Around 3 am, Jinaga left a gathering in a ground-floor apartment and returned to her apartment on the third floor. 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. Episode 213: Interview: Emanuel Fair, Found Not Guilty of Murder after It contends Fair was asleep at his friends apartment when Jinaga likely was attacked, and that he didnt attempt to leave the area: He helped clean up outdoor areas after the party and stayed with his friend at her apartment for two more days. They also want him to be reimbursed for the attorney fees he incurred while fighting the charges. Best Arpana Jinaga Podcasts (2023) - Player Shed been gagged, beaten and strangled during an apparent sexual attack. Coats is now a captain in the department. Emanuel, his family, and friends ask for privacy, as he works to rebuild his life, wrote Goldsmith. Arpana Jinaga was a 24-year-old computer programmer, who had moved to the Pacific Northwest in March of 2008. The lawsuit says that Johnson also had a past of strange or violent behavior with women. Johnson also had injuries that detectives said were consistent with a sexual assault. He was drunk and brought bottles of liquor. At approximately 8 am, Jinaga's next-door neighbor Kyle Rose, was awakened by sounds coming from her apartment. To pass time, he said he read books, wrote letters and drew pictures. Her removed tampon alone had three separate unidentified male DNA profiles on it, according to Rolling Stones investigation. Johnson has denied any involvement in Jinagas death. Arpana was last seen in the early morning of Nov. 1 during a Halloween . Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. He had a list of nearby pawnshops in his car printed the day Jinaga was killed, the lawsuit says. One juror said that when the jury began its deliberations on June 6, the 12-member panel was evenly split: Four thought Fair was not guilty, four thought he was guilty, and four were undecided.