Wilkes Barre, Pa- A Luzerne County murder trial continued Monday as the prosecution called the last of its witnesses.
Harlow Cuadra of Virginia is accused of murdering Bryan Kocis and then torching the Kocis home to cover up the crime.
Investigators said Cuadra considered Kocis his main rival in the gay pornography business.
Cuadra is accused of brutally murdering Kocis in Dallas Township in 2007.
Investigators said Cuadra and his partner, Joseph Kerekes drove to Luzerne County from Virginia to kill Kocis. They said Cuadra posed as a model to get inside the Kocis home.
Kerekes has already pleaded guilty to the murder. He is serving a life sentence.
For most of the day, a state police forensic computer expert testified. Trooper Brian Murphy told jurors that emails sent from a computer registered to Harlow Cuadra were sent to Bryan Kocis.
Jurors were shown emails and explicit nude photos of Cuadra sent to Kocis.
Defense attorneys said Kerekes likely sent those emails using Cuadra’s account.
Then, Luzerne County dective Lieutenant Dan Yersha took the stand and dropped a bombshell.
He told jurors the night Harlow Cuadra was arrested, Cuadra told him, “Joe didn’t do it.”
