Wilkes Barre, Pa- Two nationally known magazines that target different audiences have published stories this week on the murder of local gay porn producer Bryan Kocis.
The Sept. 20 issue of Rolling Stone, and the October issue of OUT, a magazine for gay men, focus on the relationship between Sean Lockhart and Kocis, and rely heavily upon blog sites that cater to pornography, court records and the local media, including The Times Leader.
Lockhart, of San Diego, is an actor who appeared in several movies produced by Kocis’ company, Cobra Video.
Both magazines are sold at newsstands locally.
A clerk at the Anthracite Newsstand, Public Square, said they sell three or four copies of Rolling Stone each week with the last copy being purchased by the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Melnick, the lead prosecutor on the case, and Carol Crane, spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Neither magazine could be found on magazine shelves inside Frank’s and Leo Matus’ newsstands on Saturday.
Three copies of Rolling Stone were found at the Barnes & Noble Collegiate Bookstore on South Main Street.
Both magazines feature photos of Kocis, Lockhart and two men – Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes – who are accused in the January slaying of Kocis.
The six-page Rolling Stone story mentions The Times Leader’s jailhouse interview with Kerekes on July 18.
OUT claims an exclusive story on its cover titled “The murder that rocked the porn world.”
Investigators alleged Cuadra, 26, and Kerekes, 33, killed Kocis, whom they considered their main rival in the gay movie production business.
Kocis, 44, was found dead inside his Midland Drive, Dallas Township, home on Jan. 24. His body was found by firefighters who responded to the home for a blaze that investigators claim was intentionally set to disguise the murder.
Luzerne County Coroner Dr. Jack Consalvo said Kocis died from a slashed throat that nearly decapitated him. Consalvo said Kocis suffered 29 stab wounds that were inflicted after he died.
After last month’s preliminary hearing, a magisterial district judge ordered Cuadra and Kerekes to stand trial in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas on the homicide charges. The two Virginia Beach, Va., men are scheduled to be formally arraigned on criminal homicide, conspiracy, robbery, arson and abuse of corpse charges on Oct. 1 before Judge Peter Paul Olszewski.
At that time, the District Attorney’s Office must notify the court if it intends to seek the death penalty.