My guess would be drugs. He was convicted of third-degree rape in 2004. He made calls to a few friends, including apparently pocket-dialing Potts. 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. At some point, though, things turned tense. She had been brutally beaten, raped, and strangled. Cameron should have been the prime suspect and the one they took to trial. Several people were at the party before Jinagas murder, so the scene was full of various DNA samples. 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. Subsequently, Johnson attempted to scrub his phone. True. A few guests got rowdy, arguments broke out and a couple of people were asked to leave. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. 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. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. He also heard a thud on the floor but figured she was alright when he heard water running shortly after the noise. Investigators said the lower half of the womans body was covered in motor oil. She had opened her third-floor apartment to Fair and dozens of other partygoers, who traipsed in and out during the festivities. Around 3 am, Jinaga left a gathering in a ground-floor apartment and returned to her apartment on the third floor. 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. 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? link. She is suspected to have died from strangulation from a bootlace. 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. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients Now His Victims Are Speaking Out, Ex-Boyfriend of Missing Md. Photos. Fair also used Jinaga's bathroom. Her arm and a blanket also were partially burned and her comforter was soaking in a bathtub. 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. The lab technicians simply could not exclude Fair as a match, and his DNA was found alongside other DNA matches. There are multiple apartments with parties and these two go to a car to listen to music?! The party lasted until the early hours. Nearly a year later. Fair said the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, is the closest thing to justice I can get.. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. 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. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinaga's death, and his. 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. Arpana Jinaga, a 24 year old woman from India. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. Investigators focused on Fair after seeing him in photos of the party. 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. 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. 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. She had opened her third-floor apartment to Fair and dozens of other partygoers, who traipsed in and out during the festivities. The neighbors DNA was found on a discarded bottle of motor oil, found in the same bag with the robe. Were they old friends? 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. Johnson also said that he had driven to Canada on the day after the Halloween party and that he had been denied entry. It was the second time Fair had been tried in connection with Jinagas killing: The first time, in 2017, the jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared. Coats ran a background check on the Fair and found the rape charge. Her other immediate neighbor, Kyle Rose, said he heard growling sounds around 8 a.m. Shed been gagged, beaten and strangled during an apparent sexual attack. 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. Fairs attorneys contend that some of the DNA evidence was not an exact match. 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?. 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. He helped set up and clean up, and had no wounds, no scratches or injuries. In August 2009, a man named Emanuel Fair was interviewed by police. 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. Around 1am, Fair visited Jinaga's apartment to eat pizza. Emanuel Fair: He was not a resident, but he was staying in the apartment of Leslie Potts. 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. When asked about the calls, Johnson reportedly said, oh crap, but he could not remember why he called Jinaga. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinagas death, and his DNA was reportedly never compared to the crime scene. 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. Coats was asked during the podcast if the prior conviction was significant to his investigation. This is the last known independent witness sighting of the pair. I thought I was gonna die, Fair told Rolling Stone. Why didnt he tell police that her door was kicked in? Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. 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. On Oct. 31, 2008, Fair took a bus to Redmond to stay the weekend with a friend at the Valley View Apartments. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. Her fingers and nails were cleaned and then covered in toilet bowl cleaner, and there was a heavy scent of bleach throughout the house. Arpana Jinaga. Jinagas bruised body was discovered covered with a cloth on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. Jinaga had been gagged with her underpants and duct tape, brutally beaten around the head. The medical examiner estimated Jinagas time of death was 8 a.m. Its just another day. Fair had some criminal history: weapon and drug offenses as a juvenile, and a rape charge from 2004. But I dont have a desire to do that. It was just gruesome, he said. 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. 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. He had a prior history of violent sexual crimes. He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. Coats is now a captain in the department. . He made calls to a few friends, including apparently pocket-dialing Potts. He waited in jail while authorities tested his DNA. I hope I never have to investigate a case like this again.. At approximately 8 am, Jinaga's next-door neighbor Kyle Rose, was awakened by sounds coming from her apartment. In a 2020 interview, one of the prosecutors said Fair looked like the best suspect because his DNA was found on objects specifically related to the murder, not the aftermath. 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 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. This is a person who is living her dream. Police let Johnson go after his questioning. 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.. Host Matthew Shaer and and reporter Eric Benson go to the scene of the crime in an effort to discover if police identified the right suspect. The DNA on her neck was microscopic and wasn't necessarily a match, it just couldn't be excluded. It is reported in Seattle Times that a third male's DNA was found on the bootlace, but it is not reported as such in the court documents. Johnson also had injuries that detectives said were consistent with a sexual assault. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. I dont think he killed Arpana. An exclusive trailer for Suspect is below. She practiced martial arts and participated in a motorcycle club. 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. She died from ligature strangulation, a bootlace the suspected murder weapon. 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. But it seems Jinaga would quickly move on and return to enjoying the party. Fair was initially arrested for not updating his address with his probation officer. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. According to the Rolling Stone report, most of the people at the party that night didnt remember Fairs name. But I dont have a desire to do that. 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. 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. She was a brilliant person. 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.. Preliminary reports said Arpana may have died on Friday evening. 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. Jinagas neighbor, Johnson, was the prime suspect at first, as described in Fairs lawsuit documents. The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. And the other DNA found was found on a robe that was likely in hanging in her bathroom, maybe he dried his hands on it while using the bathroom. Was Kyle Rose ever questioned as a suspect? This is weird. 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. After her graduation, she got a job as a software engineer at EMC, in a suburb of Seattle. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. Fair, a guest of another woman living in the building, met Jinaga and her neighbor that night. In 2008, 24 year old software engineer, Arpana Jinaga was brutally murdered after hosting a party on Halloween night with fellow residents of the Valley View Apartments in Redmond Washington. According to court documents, Johnson called Jinaga around 3 a.m. but did not mention that to the police during his interview. Jinaga had moved to the Pacific Northwest about six months ago. 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.. She had it all going on, Coats said. 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. The DNA on the motor oil and fleeing to Canada seems highly suspicious to me. The evidence of Fairs involvement is compelling, Larson said this week. 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. On Halloween 2008, Jinaga and several of her neighbors at the Valley View Apartments threw a large Halloween party, with guests moving between their units. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. The lawsuit alleges that a lighter was found in his apartment with a sticky substance on it, but investigators never collected it. Just to set the record straight. and even burning of sheets, but then they would be so careless and stupid to just discard it all into the apartment dumpster. The two discovered her locked door had been kicked in. At some point during the night, partygoers recall Jinaga getting into an argument with a male, who made a race-related comment. 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. No one cleaning up reported seeing anything suspicious. 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 Seattle Times is not naming Jinagas neighbor because he has not been charged. The party ended between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., around the same time witnesses saw Jinaga going back to her apartment. Those are times when you should be around family. She had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. By Bill Christianson January 8, 2009 5:35 pm. 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. Coats and another Redmond detective confronted the neighbor about his calls to Jinaga, but then released him and returned his phone without examining it. Jinaga lived alone in an apartment at the Valley View Apartments. The following Monday, her body would be discovered inside of her apartment, the victim of an apparent homicide. Jinaga's neighbor Cameron Johnson showed up to the party in Jinaga's unit 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. 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. Fair filed a lawsuit against King County, Redmond, the Redmond Police Department and the lead detective on Dec. 29. He attributed them to wrestling a stranger he met at another Halloween party the next day, the lawsuit alleges. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. Ive been away for so long, I dont believe in holidays no more, he said. 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. 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. The case turned into a classic whodunit, and Jinaga's costumed party guests were the prime suspects. When youre in jail, you dont have a holiday. I am far from shady. After zeroing in on Fair because of his race and rap sheet, investigators relied on cherry-picked DNA evidence while disregarding other genetic findings and suspects as part of a gather facts that fit the theory strategy, the suit alleges. After her graduation, she got a job as a software engineer at EMC, in a suburb of Seattle. The party started like many others. Johnson has denied any involvement in Jinagas death. 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. Johnson also had injuries that detectives said were consistent with a sexual assault. 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. Her hands were covered in blue toilet-bowl cleaner, her body and other items were covered in motor oil. A third mans DNA was on a bootlace, also found in the trash, but he had an alibi. 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.. Somewhere they could establish an alibi?) 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. "It's a series about cutting-edge science and mislaid justice, race and policing, and the kinds of weighty choices that cops and prosecutors make every day," Wondery states in a release. Coats was asked during the podcast if the prior conviction was significant to his investigation. Fairs attorneys contend that some of the DNA evidence was not an exact match. 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. Coats is now a captain in the department. 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 father, a head professor of engineering in India, encouraged he to move to the US to attend Rutgers University. 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. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. Condition of the apartment: Jinaga's bed had been stripped, a fleece blanket was partially burned and her comforter was found in soaked the bathroom bathtub. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. According to court documents, a neighbor who did not attend the party reported seeing a man with olive complexion and light stubble standing in Jinagas doorway, talking to someone inside around 3 a.m. Fair went inside Potts apartment between 2:30 and 3 a.m. after listening to music with Jinagas immediate neighbor Cameron Johnson. Everyone seemed to have a good time, the lawsuit alleges. 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.. Cameron Johnson: a neighbour of Jinaga: he showed up to the party in Jinaga's apartment late. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. Now, more than two years later, Fair is suing King County, the city of Redmond and Redmond Police Capt. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. 14 years later, and unfortunately there are no updates in this case. An online memorial for Arpana has been created, for family and friends to share pictures and memories, at crypticgirl.com. 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. Fair, the second-longest-serving inmate in the downtown Seattle facility after being booked into jail in November 2010, was released Tuesday afternoon, three hours after the jury delivered its not-guilty verdict, according to a jail spokeswoman. Now, more than two years later, Fair is suing King County, the city of Redmond and Redmond Police Capt. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/after-nearly-11-years-and-two-trials-killing-of-redmond-woman-remains-unsolved/, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/woman-found-dead-in-redmond-was-slain-police-say/, https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/petitions/96468-8%20Petition%20for%20Review.pdf, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/emanuel-fair-trial-lawsuit-dna-murder-charge-1330251/, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59393415bebafb202cc26aba/t/5f0237f32005f03d23c6d73a/1593980918922/Defense-Motion-to-Compel-Source-Code.pdf. . The lawsuit alleges there was heavy drinking at the party of 40 to 50 people. This was mainly on the basis of party photographs. The lab technicians simply could not exclude Fair as a match, and his DNA was found alongside other DNA matches. 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. Investigators focused on Fair after seeing him in photos of the party. The majority of criminals arent very bright. Goldsmith said evidence found at Jinagas apartment and produced during the investigation pointed to one of her neighbors as the likely killer. 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. Nobody heard from her in the following days, and that Monday, her body was discovered on the floor of her apartment, doused in chemicals and showing signs of strangulation. A recent immigrant from India and a graduate of Rutgers University, Jinaga had worked at EMC in Bellevue. All the while, Fair, whose family was unable to foot his seven-figure bail, said he had faith he would one day walk away free from a charge alleging he murdered Arpana Jinaga, 24, in her Redmond apartment after a Halloween party in 2008. 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. 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. The complaint alleges that police failed to properly secure and gather evidence. Coats ran a background check on the Fair and found the rape charge. Police attempted to identify the partygoers and interview them. Detectives relied on her to help them find Jinagas missing phone and camera and consulted her about the potential of Fair as a suspect, the lawsuit says. New episodes of the nine-part series will be released weekly on Tuesdays. Her removed tampon alone had three separate unidentified male DNA profiles on it, according to Rolling Stones investigation. 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. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Two days later on Monday, Jinagas father in India was worried that her daughter was not answering her phone, so he asked family friend Jay Bodicherla in the US to check up on her. More than a dozen people passed through Jinaga's apartment that night. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India.
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