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. 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. 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. 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. They messed up, he said. 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. Jinaga had moved to the Pacific Northwest about six months ago. 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. 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. Court files said there were also burn marks from an attempt to set the body or apartment on fire. Arpana Jinaga. 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. 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. Only one man was charged with murder. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Coats ran a background check on the Fair and found the rape charge. 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. An exclusive trailer for Suspect is below. When asked about the calls, Johnson reportedly said, oh crap, but he could not remember why he called Jinaga. The DNA on the motor oil and fleeing to Canada seems highly suspicious to me. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. After her graduation, she got a job as a software engineer at EMC, in a suburb of Seattle. So she was protecting him from interacting with cops and ending up going to jail for that. 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. The lawsuit also says Fair threw garbage in the dumpster where the robe and other items were found while helping with party clean up. Maybe they were running out of time (had to be somewhere? He was read his rights. Arpana was last seen in the early morning of Nov. 1 during a Halloween . Preliminary reports said Arpana may have died on Friday evening. He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. Remembering Arpana Jinaga - this was the memorial DVD that was played at her funeral on October 6, 2008 in Bellevue, Washington. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. When asked about the calls, Johnson reportedly said, oh crap, but he could not remember why he called Jinaga. Do we know how extensive the damage was? Most of the partygoers reportedly referred to the chocolate-skinned man as the Black guy in his police file. So its kind of messed up. After the jury in his first trial deadlocked in 2017, King County prosecutors tried Fair again in 2019. Im out, Fair said. At age 20, Jinaga moved from her native India to the United States and quickly found success. More than a dozen people passed through Jinaga's apartment that night. The county, police department and Coats filed a response to Fairs initial complaint refuting the claims. He used the bathroom on one occasion. 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 damage from that can be quite minimal and close to the floor with the door discreetly closed on departure, you might not notice unless you looked for it. 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. Johnson also had injuries that detectives said were consistent with a sexual assault. 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. 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.. I think that was the biggest reasonable doubt and no one could eliminate him [as the killer], the juror said of the neighbor. or felt they were? 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. 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. 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. Do we know from the OP that it would have been obvious? Potts covered for Fair because he had a warrant out for not updating his address with his parole officer. Fair met Jinaga hours before she was killed at a Halloween party in her apartment complex. No one cleaning up reported seeing anything suspicious. 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. During the trials, the neighbor, whom prosecutors at one point granted immunity for information, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. 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. She had a keen interest in engineering and won several innovation competitions. 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. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. 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. Emanuel Fair's 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 her bathrobe robe (left in the apartment complex trash bin). Her father, a head professor of engineering in India, encouraged he to move to the US to attend Rutgers University. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. 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. The DNA on her neck was microscopic and wasn't necessarily a match, it just couldn't be excluded. She died from ligature strangulation, a bootlace the suspected murder weapon. According to the Rolling Stone report, most of the people at the party that night didnt remember Fairs name. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Were they old friends? 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. Investigators said the lower half of the womans body was covered in motor oil. Witnesses said Neil Marshall, a partygoer, was sexually aggressive toward Jinaga on Halloween. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. He attributed them to wrestling a stranger he met at another Halloween party the next day, the lawsuit alleges. Arpana Jinaga was murdered in her apartment in 2008 . Jinaga was sprawled on the floor in her bedroom, bloody, naked, and drenched in bleach, toilet bowl cleaner, and motor oil. During trial the jury heard significant evidence that another person, Ms. Jinagas next door neighbor, may have murdered her on that tragic night.. When contacted by police, Leslie Potts falsely claimed that she was alone, even though Emanuel Fair was staying with her. 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. When questioned, Fair claimed he retired to Potts' apartment around 1:30am on the night of the party. 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 suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. Her other immediate neighbor, Kyle Rose, said he heard growling sounds around 8 a.m. 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. Her finger and fingernails were cleaned. Fair said the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, is the closest thing to justice I can get.. The lawsuit alleges that a lighter was found in his apartment with a sticky substance on it, but investigators never collected it. 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. Fair was tried for Jinagas sexual assault twice and was acquitted after his second trial in June 2019. 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 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. For three and a half decades, her disappearance was a mystery - a riddle neither authorities . 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. Those are times when you should be around family. Guests took silly photos, downed shots and smoked pot. Fair was tried for Jinagas sexual assault twice and was acquitted after his second trial in June 2019. lt also points out that Jinagas neighbor quickly emerged as the lead suspect in the case as inconsistencies in his story began to surface.. 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. I lost a lot. After the sound stopped, Rose then heard steps and the sound of running water for 1 hour. After hosting her event, software programmer, Arpana Jinaga, was found dead inside her home. 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. During the party, [Fair] was accidentally hit in the mouth and had a bloody lip, so he used a tissue in Ms. Jinagas apartment; he likely used her bathroom during the party where her robe hung; he may have touched the duct tape holding decorations during the party; and photographs show he touched Ms. Jinaga and others while posing during the party. Everyone seemed to have a good time, the lawsuit alleges. A new true-crime podcast from Campside Media and Wondery delves into the brutal unsolved murder nearly 13 years and two trials later. Police found that he had Googled pawn shops near the border. The neighbor invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Larson said. After the jury in his first trial deadlocked in 2017, King County prosecutors tried Fair again in 2019. And thats hard.. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. 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. He assumed Jinaga was either vomiting or having sex. He scrubbed his phone right after the interrogation, the lawsuit says. 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. Her father, a head professor of engineering in India, encouraged he to move to the US to attend Rutgers University. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. Fair ultimately was charged based on trace DNA evidence found on Jinagas neck; a piece of duct tape used to gag her; paper found in the apartment; and mixed with Jinagas blood on a robe recovered from the apartment buildings dumpster. There are multiple apartments with parties and these two go to a car to listen to music?! Since his release two-and-a-half years ago, Fair said hes struggled to adjust to life outside of jail or find steady work. I may be misremembering but I seem to remember there being explanations for Fairs DNA on those items? He had a list of nearby pawnshops in his car printed the day Jinaga was killed, the lawsuit says. but Im not free.. Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. Its got to be terrible for everybody it touched. Arpana Jinaga. They messed up, he said. 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. 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. I thought I was gonna die, Fair told Rolling Stone. 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. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. The suit contends detectives aligned evidence to match their theory and disregarded half a dozen non-Black suspects in the case. 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 said the lawsuit, obtained by Atlanta Black Star, is the closest thing to justice I can get.. They interrogated Fair on the car ride to the station without reading his rights. 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. His lawyers said he suffers from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. He also heard a thud on the floor but figured she was alright when he heard water running shortly after the noise. They act on impulse, not ration. No one cleaning up reported seeing anything suspicious. Jinaga lived alone in an apartment at the Valley View Apartments. This is only a fraction of the evidence exonerating Emanuel which was wide-ranging and persuasive. Jinaga showed Fair and other partygoers something on her computer on another occasion. Brian Bundridge was in a motorcycle club with Jinaga. By Bill Christianson January 8, 2009 5:35 pm. Coats is now a captain in the department. 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. . 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. Jinaga, an outgoing Rutgers University grad, had moved to Redmond six months earlier to work as a software engineer at a Bellevue firm. One juror said that when the jury began its deliberations on June 6, the 12-member panel was evenly split: Four thought Fair was not guilty, four thought he was guilty, and four were undecided. 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. Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. The party ended between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., around the same time witnesses saw Jinaga going back to her apartment. Perhaps the perpetrator(s) kicked in the door, then while leaving they shut it again. They found her nude body on her bedroom floor, face-down on the carpet and partially covered with cloth. Was Kyle Rose ever questioned as a suspect? 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. Fair, a guest of another woman living in the building, met Jinaga and her neighbor that night. 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. Jinagas father had asked a family friend to check in on her after she missed scheduled calls with family from India. 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. 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. 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. . 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. Coats was asked during the podcast if the prior conviction was significant to his investigation. 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. 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. The officers allegedly did not change gloves between evidence collections, or between rooms or locations. 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.. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. However, phone records show that he was making many phone calls between 2am and 5am, including to Potts. In the apartment, there was a strong smell of bleach, and also bleach stains were found. At one time, Emanuel Fair was the longest-serving inmate in the King County Jail, spending nine years behind bars without being convicted of a crime. Arpana Jinaga Unresolved Arpana Jinaga In October of 2008, a 24-year-old computer programmer living in the Seattle area would attend a Halloween party in her apartment complex. When youre in jail, you dont have a holiday. After nine years of fighting, Emanuel Fair has the freedom he deserves. There was evidence of rape. Her arm and a blanket also were partially burned and her comforter was soaking in a bathtub. During the night, neighbors of Jinaga heard muffled moaning sounds, and assumed she and a partner were having consensual sex. Around 3 am, Jinaga left a gathering in a ground-floor apartment and returned to her apartment on the third floor. Emanuel, his family, and friends ask for privacy, as he works to rebuild his life, wrote Goldsmith. In every community across Washington, families are facing the challenge of accessing and affording long-term care. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. In it, Ehlert stood firmly by the prosecuting teams decisions. 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. On Oct. 31, 2008, Fair took a bus to Redmond to stay the weekend with a friend at the Valley View Apartments. He told detectives he had a desire to explore. Canadian officials said Johnson tried to blow through the gates. It's obvious why Fair is the number one suspect. 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 initially arrested for not updating his address with his probation officer. Burn marks on her body and apartment suggest somebody tried to burn her. 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.