Fair also used Jinaga's bathroom. Fair filed a lawsuit against King County, Redmond, the Redmond Police Department and the lead detective on Dec. 29. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. 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. If her rape was that violent he'd have had SOME scratches or scars. link. 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. The initial investigation focused on Cameron Johnson, Jinaga's neighbor. Cameron Johnson: a neighbour of Jinaga: he showed up to the party in Jinaga's apartment late. 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. After the party wound down, Jinaga was seen returning to her apartment about 3 a.m.; investigators believe she was killed at about 8 a.m. Nov. 1. 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. The party ended between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., around the same time witnesses saw Jinaga going back to her apartment. 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. Her other immediate neighbor, Kyle Rose, said he heard growling sounds around 8 a.m. 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. . It was a brutal scene. Subsequently, Johnson attempted to scrub his phone. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. 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. But it seems Jinaga would quickly move on and return to enjoying the party. In every community across Washington, families are facing the challenge of accessing and affording long-term care. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. Police went to Jinaga's apartment after they were contacted by her friend, Redmond police spokesman Jim Bove said, adding police are investigating the death as a homicide. A recent immigrant from India and a graduate of Rutgers University, Jinaga had worked at EMC in Bellevue. I think that was the biggest reasonable doubt and no one could eliminate him [as the killer], the juror said of the neighbor. 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. Arpana Jinaga, a 24 year old woman from India. Arpana Jinaga. 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. She had opened her third-floor apartment to Fair and dozens of other partygoers, who traipsed in and out during the festivities. 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. 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. When Johnson was interviewed by police on Nov 3 and 5th, he was noticeably limping with elbow and knee issues, but claimed it was due to an arm wrestling incident. This was mainly on the basis of party photographs. He said evidence about Jinagas neighbor raised significant questions for the jury. 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. Most of the partygoers reportedly referred to the chocolate-skinned man as the Black guy in his police file. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinagas death, and his DNA was reportedly never compared to the crime scene. His attorneys allege Fair was isolated as the main suspect for her murder because of his race and his past criminal record. This is weird. Fairs lawsuit contends the probable cause affidavit used to support the murder charge omitted multiple facts, including that several other mens DNA also was found on crime scene evidence and items found in the dumpster. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. During trial the jury heard significant evidence that another person, Ms. Jinagas next door neighbor, may have murdered her on that tragic night.. Jinaga, an outgoing Rutgers University grad, had moved to Redmond six months earlier to work as a software engineer at a Bellevue firm. Arpana Jinaga Memorial. 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. 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. In August 2009, a man named Emanuel Fair was interviewed by police. His attorneys allege Fair was isolated as the main suspect for her murder because of his race and his past criminal record. He had a prior history of violent sexual crimes. 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. Several people were at the party before Jinagas murder, so the scene was full of various DNA samples. According to reports, Fair accepted a plea agreement in 2004 while still maintaining his innocence. He waited in jail while authorities tested his DNA. 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. Redmond Police have found no "firm suspects" in the brutal murder of Arpana Jinaga, a 24-year-old software engineer who was . When youre in jail, you dont have a holiday. Emanuel has steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout this case and he, his family, and friends are greatly relieved that justice was served by his acquittal, defense attorney Benjamin Goldsmith wrote in an email Friday. 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. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. 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. I think he may have been involved; I think he may have lied to us, Ehlert said of the neighbor. According to court documents, Johnson called Jinaga around 3 a.m. but did not mention that to the police during his interview. Coats is now a captain in the department. 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. As her next-door neighbor this would have been obvious. For three and a half decades, her disappearance was a mystery - a riddle neither authorities . 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. Cameron should have been the prime suspect and the one they took to trial. On Tuesday, that man, Emanuel Fair, 35, was found not guilty of first-degree murder with sexual motivation by a King County jury. Preliminary reports said Arpana may have died on Friday evening. I didnt know how to answer, so I just told her the truth: Im depressed. When the night came to an end and the crowd began to disperse, Jinaga said what would be her final goodbyes. Investigators focused on Fair after seeing him in photos of the party. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? So what else can they do but to continue to point their finger at me?. Fairs attorneys contend that some of the DNA evidence was not an exact match. He and Jinagas next-door neighbor who became a suspect in her slaying discovered her locked door had been kicked in and found her nude body on her bedroom floor. Police believe she was killed around 8 am. I felt like I was kidnapped, Fair said in last months interview, when explaining his decision to pursue his claims of negligence, civil rights violations and malicious prosecution. Fair met Jinaga hours before she was killed at a Halloween party in her apartment complex. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. He had a list of nearby pawnshops in his car printed the day Jinaga was killed, the lawsuit says. I thought I was gonna die, Fair told Rolling Stone. When contacted by police, Leslie Potts falsely claimed that she was alone, even though Emanuel Fair was staying with her. Potts covered for Fair because he had a warrant out for not updating his address with his parole officer. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinaga's death, and his. 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.. They also failed to look for evidence of a missing bootlace. 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. Most of the partygoers reportedly referred to the chocolate-skinned man as the Black guy in his police file. 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. Jinaga lived alone in an apartment at the Valley View Apartments. Why didnt he tell police that her door was kicked in? There was DNA from 2-3 males found at the crime scene. She was a brilliant person. or felt they were? 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. 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. This is only a fraction of the evidence exonerating Emanuel which was wide-ranging and persuasive. Do we know how extensive the damage was? 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. A new true-crime podcast from Campside Media and Wondery delves into the brutal unsolved murder nearly 13 years and two trials later. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. 2008, in Marshall . Maybe they were running out of time (had to be somewhere? The party ended between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., around the same time witnesses saw Jinaga going back to her apartment. 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. The lawsuit says that Johnson also had a past of strange or violent behavior with women. Around 2:30 am, Fair and Johnson went to Johnson's apartment and then down to Johnson's car to listen to music. She is suspected to have died from strangulation from a bootlace. 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. Jinaga was sprawled on the floor in her bedroom, bloody, naked, and drenched in bleach, toilet bowl cleaner, and motor oil. A third mans DNA was on a bootlace, also found in the trash, but he had an alibi. 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. Jinagas neighbor, Johnson, was the prime suspect at first, as described in Fairs lawsuit documents. True. 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. Her removed tampon alone had three separate unidentified male DNA profiles on it, according to Rolling Stones investigation. 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. Her other immediate neighbor, Kyle Rose, said he heard growling sounds around 8 a.m. During the night, neighbors of Jinaga heard muffled moaning sounds, and assumed she and a partner were having consensual sex. Fair was initially arrested for not updating his address with his probation officer. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. Now, more than two years later, Fair is suing King County, the city of Redmond and Redmond Police Capt. The party was big enough that it spanned multiple apartments and drew many revelers. But I dont have a desire to do that. Arpana and neighbors within the Valley View Apartment complex threw a large Halloween party. The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. Jinagas hands were covered in blue toilet-bowl cleaner, her body and other items were covered in motor oil, her bed had been stripped, a blanket was partially burned and her soaked comforter was found in the bathtub. and even burning of sheets, but then they would be so careless and stupid to just discard it all into the apartment dumpster. 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. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. In the apartment, there was a strong smell of bleach, and also bleach stains were found. 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. Fair filed a lawsuit against King County, Redmond, the Redmond Police Department and the lead detective on Dec. 29. Fairs attorneys contend that some of the DNA evidence was not an exact match. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India. He appeared drunk and brought liquor. According to reports, Fair accepted a plea agreement in 2004 while still maintaining his innocence. Jinaga and other tenants he hadnt met were co-hosting a large Halloween party in several units. We found [Fair] not guilty because of reasonable doubt, not because we thought he was completely innocent., The Seattle Times closes comments on particularly sensitive stories. 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 alleges there was heavy drinking at the party of 40 to 50 people. He also drove to Canada the day of the murder and attempted to cross the border without a passport. Arpana was last seen in the early morning of Nov. 1 during a Halloween . After her graduation, she got a job as a software engineer at EMC, in a suburb of Seattle. The defense also explained the innocuous opportunities Mr. Fair had to touch or indirectly transfer microscopic skin cells to these items during the party. His lawyers said he suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Shed been gagged, beaten and strangled during an apparent sexual attack. 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. He replied: If youve done it before, youll do it again.. He attributed them to wrestling a stranger he met at another Halloween party the next day, the lawsuit alleges. Brian Bundridge was in a motorcycle club with Jinaga. The second trial was in 2019, where he got a not-guilty verdict. Shed been gagged, beaten and strangled during an apparent sexual attack. 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. I felt like I was kidnapped, Fair said in last months interview, when explaining his decision to pursue his claims of negligence, civil rights violations and malicious prosecution. He had been in her apartment once earlier in the night too. Some of the potential suspects were not interviewed. His lawyers said the ordeal has permanently damaged Fairs reputation, his emotional well-being, livelihood and relationships. His case went on trial in 2017, the jury deadlocked and there was a mistrial. 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. Suspect premieres Aug. 17 on Wondery+ and Aug. 31 wherever podcasts are streamed. 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. He scrubbed his phone right after the interrogation, the lawsuit says. 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 replied: If youve done it before, youll do it again.. Fair was initially arrested for not updating his address with his probation officer. The evidence of Fairs involvement is compelling, Larson said this week. To get in one of those cheap hollow core doors (if thats what the apartment had) by kicking, you dont need to kick a hole through, just knock it out of the lock. She had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. Fair was later seen leaving the apartment that night. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. He had a list of nearby pawnshops in his car printed the day Jinaga was killed, the lawsuit says. Cameron Johnson, who has never been charged, invoked his 5th Amendment right, and therefore only faced limited scope questioning during Fair's trial. The DNA on the motor oil and fleeing to Canada seems highly suspicious to me. Was Kyle Rose ever questioned as a suspect? He had a prior history of violent sexual crimes. He had bruises consistent with a sexual attack, tried to flee the country, and was researching pawn shops (which the police never really followed up onor seemingly got a real answer from him on why he was researchingpawn shops). Police found that he had Googled pawn shops near the border. This is the last known independent witness sighting of the pair. When residents of the Valley View Apartments in Redmond, Wash., decided to host a Halloween party nearly 13 years ago, nobody expected that it would end with murder. Her arm and a blanket also were partially burned and her comforter was soaking in a bathtub. Only one man was charged with murder. 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. 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 . In it, Ehlert stood firmly by the prosecuting teams decisions. He had a lighter covered in gook that looked like motor oil which they took a photo of but never bagged it nor did they check his shoes for a missing lace. The county, police department and Coats filed a response to Fairs initial complaint refuting the claims. More than a dozen people passed through Jinaga's apartment that night. The lawsuit also says Fair threw garbage in the dumpster where the robe and other items were found while helping with party clean up. 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. 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.. 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. Her fingers and nails were cleaned and then covered in toilet bowl cleaner, and there was a heavy scent of bleach throughout the house. Johnson also had injuries that detectives said were consistent with a sexual assault. Arpana Jinaga was a 24-year-old computer programmer, who had moved to the Pacific Northwest in March of 2008. They also want him to be reimbursed for the attorney fees he incurred while fighting the charges. 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.. 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. An exclusive trailer for Suspect is below. Do we know from the OP that it would have been obvious? Johnson said he heard moaning sounds coming from Jinagas apartment around 3 a.m., and he assumed she was having sex. He helped set up and clean up, and had no wounds, no scratches or injuries. They interrogated Fair on the car ride to the station without reading his rights. Johnson also had injuries that detectives said were consistent with a sexual assault. It's obvious why Fair is the number one suspect. but Im not free., Thailand's 'most beautiful transgender woman' and husband wear $580K in attire at extravagant wedding, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; 'We are coming,' sheriff says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh's new mugshot revealed after double life sentence, Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland for 30 days for taking a bathroom selfie, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, but light rain makes brief return, Why 4 of Mizzou's seniors have a personal meaning for Dennis Gates, Iliman Ndiaye: Senegal midfielder an 'unbelievable' player. The Wondery true-crime podcast Suspect centers on the murder of Arpana Jinaga as well as the trials of the wrongly imprisoned Emanuel Fair, who spent years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. 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. 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? Photo: King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, 'Dr. Suspect: With Matthew Shaer, Eric Benson, Matt Baglio, Ashley Fantz. At some point, though, things turned tense. According to court documents, Johnson called Jinaga around 3 a.m. but did not mention that to the police during his interview. 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. Jinaga had been gagged, brutally beaten and most likely raped. The officers allegedly did not change gloves between evidence collections, or between rooms or locations. 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. He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. The area she was living is considered an upscale area with a very low crime rate, and is the home to technology companies such as Microsoft and Nintendo. She volunteered at the. However, when Fair emerged as a suspect, his treatment can only be viewed as racial discrimination, his attorneys allege. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. 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. 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. Everyone seemed to have a good time, the lawsuit alleges. Woman Found Dead in Park Charged with Murder, Honors Student, 17, Killed After Offering Teenagers a Ride: 'Thought He Was Doing the Right Thing', Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, A Man Who Died by Suicide After Being Questioned About 1994 Murder Has Been Identified as the Alleged Killer, More Than 15 Years After Madeleine McCann's Disappearance, Questions Remain Unanswered: 5 Things to Know, Accident or Murder? He used the bathroom on one occasion. After the jury in his first trial deadlocked in 2017, King County prosecutors tried Fair again in 2019. She died from ligature strangulation, a bootlace the suspected murder weapon. 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. 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.
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