And he prefers to avoid holidays, in part because he got used to not celebrating them when he was in jail, and in part because he doesnt want to be around family that didnt support him when he was behind bars. In jail, he had turned his cell into an office, so I could act like I was out in the free world, he says. Her apartment was decorated as a haunted forest, one of. At his second trial, a jury found him not guilty. The lawsuit doesnt claim that any of these men were Jinagas killer. A halloween party. Bleach, blue toilet bowl cleaner, soap and motor oil were used to strip away evidence that might have linked investigators to the killer. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Just hours after that party ended, in the early morning of Nov. 1, 2008, one of the hosts of the Halloween party a 24-year-old software engineer and Indian immigrant named Arpana Jinaga was beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death in her home at the apartment complex. The residents of the Valley View apartments organize a big costume party. plea, which meant that he accepted the plea agreement while still maintaining his innocence a common tactic when you cant afford to go to trial. Emanuel Fair and his aunt photographed in Seattle on March 31, 2022. . Nearly a year later. The third time, Coats told Fair he was recommending that the DA charge him with first degree murder. The party started around 8 p.m. The county jail wasnt built for long-term stays typically not longer than a year so he didnt have access to any programming or education. But she didnt call them on Nov. 1 or 2. Its the burn marks on her bedroom carpet and on the satin sheets pulled from the garbage dumpster. 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. Thats how he ended up at Valley View: he was crashing for the weekend with Leslie Potts, a friend hed met on MySpace years before. 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. But prosecutors were barred from using the argument that the neighbor and Fair had acted as accomplices, given that there wasnt sufficient evidence to support the theory. A tech genius. Read part one about Arpana Jinaga's mysterious murder here. Fair was still staying at Potts apartment when Jinagas body was found two days later. 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. It was like the movies, coming down slow. The police backup pointed their guns at his chest, he says, and detectives shouted at him to calm down. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 8am - 5pm Pacific Saturday & Sunday. But the most memorable thing throughout the investigation, first trial and subsequent retrial, was getting to know the brilliant person who was sure to go far in the world, Coats said. We cant bring back those years, says Dreveskracht. There were bleach stains on the carpet; her body was covered in motor oil from the waist down; Her fingers and fingernails were cleaned and then doused with toilet bowl cleaner; and burn marks made it look like someone had tried to burn her body and the apartment. Then,
In 2008, 24 year old software engineer, Arpana Jinaga was brutally murdered after hosting
In the first season finale of The Point of No Return Podcast, hosts Mich and Mandy explore
Arpana was just a few days shy of turning 24 on Halloween night in 2008. Happy Halloween!
They soon zeroed in on him as their lead suspect, and after finding DNA of his at the crime scene, they charged him with Jinagas murder. of the county jail system in King County showed that Black inmates were significantly more likely to be kept in restrictive housing than white inmates, and Fair was no exception. It was a scene where the suspect or suspects spent a considerable amount of time covering the evidence of crime, Coats said. for the first time on Oct. 31, 2008, in what would turn out to be the hours before her death. 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. She steadfastly stood by their decision to charge Fair in Jinagas murder. Arpana Jinaga was a 24-year-old computer programmer, who had moved to the Pacific Northwest in March of 2008. 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. But some 50 people passed through the crime scene in the hours before Jinaga was murdered, so it was teeming with DNA. The building was motel-style, so everyones front door faced the outside of the building, and for the party that night, four residents including Jinaga decorated their apartments and opened their doors. Singling out the only Black man at the party, when presented with multiple other white suspects, can only be viewed as racial discrimination, Fairs lawsuit alleges. His phone records revealed he called Jinaga at 3 a.m. on the night of the killing, but he said he did not remember making these calls. Jones was previously arrested in 2003 for the manslaughter of two female victims. I dont think he killed Arpana. (Photo: Twitter/@pure1org) Fair met Jinaga hours before she was killed at a Halloween party in her apartment complex. Most of the people at the Halloween party at the Valley View Apartments didnt remember Emanuel Fairs name. Her two juvenile passengers, two girls who were 4 months old and 2 years old, are believed to be. Hes stout but not tall, and at 38, his facial hair is salt and pepper now. for almost nine years for this crime hinged on DNA: trace amounts found on Jinagas neck, her robe, and the duct tape used to restrain her. The key difference between them and Fair, the suit alleges, is that none of them were Black. Fairs first trial ended in a hung jury because of one juror said Fair looked like a thug with tattoos on his hands.. Police waited for the results. Its a tough decision to make, he said, and a lot of responsibility given the complications surrounding the crime. According to the lawsuit, his fingerprints were found inside the window of Jinagas apartment, and his DNA was found on the motor oil bottle and a portion of wet carpet at the crime scene. 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. King County Solid Waste Division will have an online food waste survey open until April 30. Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. The woman told RPD the first of these calls resulted in a long recorded voicemail in which she heard constant movement, but no words. The first was one of Jinagas neighbors, a white man in his twenties the same neighbor whod entered the apartment with Jinagas family friend and an early prime suspect in the case. (Rolling Stone was not able to locate the neighbor, who we have chosen not to name, though he has denied any involvement in previous interviews.) Fair said he was the only one to use the phone that night. But when police looked at his phone he handed it over willingingly, during the interview they noted that he had also called her at 2:56 a.m. and 3:02 a.m., just before the Jinagas estimated time of death. 8/27/2016: The family of murder victim Angela Leis is searching for answers and justice. But, it says, the evidence that implicated them was vital information to ultimately charge Emanuel with first degree murder. Create a password that only you will remember. Its true that there are no witnesses to the murder and no one ever confessed, so DNA was the strongest card in their hand. Oh crap, he responded, before insisting that he didnt remember why he called her. We won't share it with anyone else. I think he may have been involved; I think he may have lied to us, Ehlert said of the neighbor. He made a desk, and scheduled hours to read USA Today, hours to write letters, and hours to review legal texts from his lawyer. Fair had entered an Alford plea, which meant that he accepted the plea agreement while still maintaining his innocence a common tactic when you cant afford to go to trial. the prosecution claimed in a 2016 court filing leading up to Fairs first trial. Just hours after that party ended, in the early morning of Nov. 1, 2008, one of the hosts of the Halloween party a 24-year-old software engineer and Indian immigrant named Arpana Jinaga . He drove to Canada the day after the Halloween party, but was denied entry. Fair didnt know anyone else at the complex, and had no idea, when he arrived, that a costume party was about to take over. In the photos of the party, Jinagas smiling, and wearing a Little Red Ridinghood costume. The State Court of Appeals upheld the courts decision. Copyright 2023 Living Media India Limited. I knew I was gonna get out, Fair says. According to police logs, in February 2010, Coats reached out to Allison DuBois the psychic who was the inspiration for the CBS show Medium asking if she could locate Jinagas missing camera and cell phone and if there was a witness out there that they hadnt talked to yet.