The complaint alleges that police failed to properly secure and gather evidence. She had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. She and several other residents in the complex opened the doors to their apartments for what was to be a night of fun. 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. His case went on trial in 2017, the jury deadlocked and there was a mistrial. During trial the jury heard significant evidence that another person, Ms. Jinagas next door neighbor, may have murdered her on that tragic night.. To contaminate evidence, Jinagas hands had been doused in blue toilet-bowl cleaner and her body 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. I just dont want to be around nobody, he said. She died from ligature strangulation, a bootlace the suspected murder weapon. Some of the potential suspects were not interviewed. She had opened her third-floor apartment to Fair and dozens of other partygoers, who traipsed in and out during the festivities. However, phone records show that he was making many phone calls between 2am and 5am, including to Potts. The neighbors DNA was found on a discarded bottle of motor oil, found in the same bag with the robe. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. Sunshine2018/BT - He helped set up and clean up, and had no wounds, no scratches or injuries. 'I'm Out, But I'm Not Free': Man Sues After Spending More Than Eight They messed up, he said. The lawsuit alleges there was heavy drinking at the party of 40 to 50 people. Detectives interviewed Fair three times in jail before the district attorney recommended a first-degree murder against him. Investigators focused on Fair after seeing him in photos of the party. 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. Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. I lost a lot. He also drove to Canada the day of the murder and attempted to cross the border without a passport. A brutal murder and mountains of evidence. After 2 court - Reddit A man by the name of Emanuel Fair was arrested in connection with her murder, but he has since been found not guilty of the crime. As the fact that Fair was the only black African American at the party and involved in this case, some are also accusing racial discrimination. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. Man jailed for 9 years sues King County, Redmond after acquittal in 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. 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. She had it all going on, Coats said. Johnson said he heard moaning sounds coming from Jinagas apartment around 3 a.m., and he assumed she was having sex. Residents said Fair appeared relaxed when he hung out at Potts apartment for three days over the weekend. Preliminary reports said Arpana may have died on Friday evening. Somewhere they could establish an alibi?) Jinaga and other tenants he hadnt met were co-hosting a large Halloween party in several units. A suspect is identified, arrested, and convicted, but this morphed into a greater mystery when journalists began investigating the case years later. Fair said the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, is the closest thing to justice I can get.. 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. After nine years of fighting, Emanuel Fair has the freedom he deserves. Bodicherla went to the apartment complex, where he encountered Cameron Johnson, who showed him the way to Jinaga's unit. The lawsuit alleges there was heavy drinking at the party of 40 to 50 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. 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. The medical examiner estimated Jinagas time of death was 8 a.m. It was just gruesome, he said. The Mysterious Death of a Young Mom Found Unresponsive in Her Bathtub, Inside the Case Against Bryan Kohberger: Legal Experts Weigh in on Idaho Murders, Will Bryan Kohberger Face Death Penalty if Convicted of Idaho Murders? Fair was released in 2019, serving a total of 9 years without conviction, and is now suing the county authorities. The result, it claims, was a biased probe that caused Fair to be arrested and charged without probable cause for a murder he did not commit.. 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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. The party started like many others. So its kind of messed up. Suspect Might Be the Best True-Crime Podcast of the Year - Vulture So she was protecting him from interacting with cops and ending up going to jail for that. Police let Johnson go after his questioning. When questioned, Fair claimed he retired to Potts' apartment around 1:30am on the night of the party. A recent immigrant from India and a graduate of Rutgers University, Jinaga had worked at EMC in Bellevue. His lawyers said he suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This is the last known independent witness sighting of the pair. In August 2009, a man named Emanuel Fair was interviewed by police. I just want to be myself., The Seattle Times closes comments on particularly sensitive stories. Those are times when you should be around family. DNA found at the crime scene was ultimately linked to three men, but only one was charged with murder. 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.. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. The Seattle Times is not naming Jinagas neighbor because he has not been charged. Potts covered for Fair because he had a warrant out for not updating his address with his parole officer. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. In it, Ehlert stood firmly by the prosecuting teams decisions. -, Press J to jump to the feed. His attorneys allege Fair was isolated as the main suspect for her murder because of his race and his past criminal record. In the apartment, there was a strong smell of bleach, and also bleach stains were found. Police let Johnson go after his questioning. When asked about the calls, Johnson reportedly said, oh crap, but he could not remember why he called Jinaga. No one cleaning up reported seeing anything suspicious. Jinaga's neighbor Cameron Johnson showed up to the party in Jinaga's unit late. 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. 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. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. 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. Johnson was hanging out near Jinagas apartment when her friend arrived to check on her, and he helped the family friend identify the body, the lawsuit alleges. He also drove to Canada the day of the murder and attempted to cross the border without a passport. Emanuel Fair: He was not a resident, but he was staying in the apartment of Leslie Potts. But I dont have a desire to do that. Detectives interviewed Fair three times in jail before the district attorney recommended a first-degree murder against him. However, when Fair emerged as a suspect, his treatment can only be viewed as racial discrimination, his attorneys allege. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. Jinagas bruised body was discovered covered with a cloth on Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. 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. The lawsuit alleges that a lighter was found in his apartment with a sticky substance on it, but investigators never collected it. An online memorial for Arpana has been created, for family and friends to share pictures and memories, at crypticgirl.com. At some point during the night, partygoers recall Jinaga getting into an argument with a male, who made a race-related comment. DNA from the neighbor was found on a motor oil bottle, and from another man who wasnt at the party on a bootlace likely used to strangle Jinaga. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. link. After the sound stopped, Rose then heard steps and the sound of running water for 1 hour. The following Monday, her body would be discovered inside of her apartment, the victim of an apparent homicide. "Choices that, once made, are difficult to reverse.". 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. Burn marks on her body and apartment suggest somebody tried to burn her. Court files said there were also burn marks from an attempt to set the body or apartment on fire. According to reports, Fair accepted a plea agreement in 2004 while still maintaining his innocence. 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. On the night of Oct. 31, 2008, Arpana Jinaga and her neighbors at the Valley View Apartments, in Redmond, Wash., threw a party to celebrate Halloween. Jinaga had been gagged with her underpants and duct tape, brutally beaten around the head. 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. A few guests got rowdy, arguments broke out and a couple of people were asked to leave. His phone records revealed that he had called Jinaga at 3am on the night of the murder, but he stated he did not remember making the calls. Fair met Jinaga hours before she was killed at a Halloween party in her apartment complex. The case turned into a classic whodunit, and Jinaga's costumed party guests were the prime suspects. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. He waited in jail while authorities tested his DNA. 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. Photo: King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office, 'Dr. He waited in jail while authorities tested his DNA. Jinaga had moved to the Pacific Northwest about six months ago. The Murder of Arpana Jinaga, The Stickiest Heist In History, abnd The Crappiest Place on Earth Published December 28, 2021 at 12:01 AM EST Listen 12:50 The lab technicians simply could not exclude Fair as a match, and his DNA was found alongside other DNA matches. Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. Jinaga showed Fair and other partygoers something on her computer on another occasion. 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. This was mainly on the basis of party photographs. 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. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. This is weird. 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. Arpana Jinaga, a 24 year old woman from India. 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.. According to residents of the apartment, Johnson appeared interested in Jinaga. and even burning of sheets, but then they would be so careless and stupid to just discard it all into the apartment dumpster. 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. Some of the potential suspects were not interviewed. Only one man was charged with murder. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. According to the Rolling Stone report, most of the people at the party that night didnt remember Fairs name. 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. He scrubbed his phone right after the interrogation, the lawsuit says. 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. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinagas death, and his DNA was reportedly never compared to the crime scene. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. . .but he doesnt mention it? 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 lawsuit includes many of the same facts that his public defender, Ben Goldsmith, used to poke holes in the prosecutions criminal case. The result, it claims, was a biased probe that caused Fair to be arrested and charged without probable cause for a murder he did not commit.. He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. The neighbor invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Larson said. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. And thats hard.. 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. The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. 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. Jailed for Nine Years, Man Acquitted of 2008 - The Daily Chronicle Fair filed a lawsuit against King County, Redmond, the Redmond Police Department and the lead detective on Dec. 29. Theyre still crying about it 10 years later and they will be for the rest of their lives because it was such a horrible thing.. 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.. Photos. Was Kyle Rose ever questioned as a suspect? 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. Second trial in killing of Redmond woman ends with not-guilty verdict Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. Subsequently, Johnson attempted to scrub his phone. The initial investigation focused on Cameron Johnson, Jinaga's neighbor. It seems odd to me that the killer(s) would go to such extremes to cover up DNA on her body and in her apartment with the motor oil and toilet bowl cleaner and bleach etc. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. But it seems Jinaga would quickly move on and return to enjoying the party. His first trial, in 2017, ended in a hung jury because one juror said Fair looked like a thug with tattoos on his hands. The jury in the second trial acquitted him. "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. Cameron Johnson: a neighbour of Jinaga: he showed up to the party in Jinaga's apartment late. She. 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. Most of the partygoers reportedly referred to the chocolate-skinned man as the Black guy in his police file. Court files said there were also burn marks from an attempt to set the body or apartment on fire. Fair was tried for Jinagas sexual assault twice and was acquitted after his second trial in June 2019. 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. 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. Since his release two-and-a-half years ago, Fair said hes struggled to adjust to life outside of jail or find steady work. Coats ran a background check on the Fair and found the rape charge. To pass time, he said he read books, wrote letters and drew pictures. When youre in jail, you dont have a holiday. 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. Also Leslie Potts covering for Fair is alarming, was that investigated. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. beansbaxter. Larson, the chief criminal deputy prosecutor, noted Fairs DNA was found on Jinagas neck, a piece of duct tape used to gag her, a piece of toilet paper or paper towel found at the crime scene, and was mixed with Jinagas blood on a robe found in the apartment buildings trash bin. Everyone seemed to have a good time, the lawsuit alleges. Because of this, a judge limited the scope of questions the man could be asked during the trial. Now, more than two years later, Fair is suing King County, the city of Redmond and Redmond Police Capt. Fair is seeking damages for the emotional stress he faced from when police investigated him until he was released. She had been brutally beaten, raped, and strangled. Investigators said the lower half of the womans body was covered in motor oil. 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. When contacted by police, Leslie Potts falsely claimed that she was alone, even though Emanuel Fair was staying with her. Johnson was hanging out near Jinagas apartment when her friend arrived to check on her, and he helped the family friend identify the body, the lawsuit alleges.