Inmate files $1 million lawsuit against Cameron County and two jailers They dance and drink. After leaving work, she would stop by a store to pick up some Halloween decorations, and began covering her apartment as other people began returning home and donning their costumes. So I was really primed to be interested in that anyway. Fair's attorneys would point out several gaps in the investigation. What were the things that made that possible? Athens podcast tracks murder of former UGA law student, autopsy Instead of trying to solve Jinagas murder, Shaer and Benson use extensive interviews to weave a complex narrative around race, injustice, the place of forensic DNA evidence in the common perception of guilt and innocence and, ultimately, a tragic story with no real closure. We didnt want to make that kind of show. Even Seattles prosecutors are far more liberal than prosecutors in other parts of the country in terms of their policies. It gives me a little bit of hope, that something that is relatively complicated is being thought about and talked about in the way that it is. C.J. As a teen, she participated in an IEEE Hardware Design Contest that earned her some attention from universities and potential employers, and seemed to cement her down the path of computing. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Joel Alonso Alanis-Mejia, alleges the county jail system has a history of jailers using excessive force against inmates. And soon, she was able to build an entire social circle around herself, due to her bubbly personality and her willingness to try anything at least once. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Investigators and prosecutors feel the same way about this individual because he was interviewed on more than four occasions in the weeks after Arpana's murder - more than any other suspect or POI - and at one point, investigators even wrote up probable cause paperwork to apply for this suspect's arrest. 6 episodes totalling 4 hours, 18 minutes. More than two dozen people would filter through the numerous apartments that evening, including Arpana's. Suspicious deaths, such as homicide, very rarely happen in Redmond: one of the wealthier suburbs on the outskirts of Seattle, which is known internationally for housing the U.S. headquarters for both Microsoft and Nintendo. A witness that was returning home from work that evening at around 3:00 AM - who had not attended the Halloween party, but lived nearby - later told police that they saw a non-black individual standing in the doorway of Arpana's apartment at around 3:00 AM. It would soon become clear to them that someone had attempted to scrub the apartment of their presence, wiping bleach onto several pieces of furniture, as well as a table in the living room (from which, fluid had spilled down onto the carpet, permanently staining it). Alanis-Mejia was allegedly beaten by jailers Raul Galarza and Mark Solis while . 2023 Vox Media, LLC. I hadn't seen her for months, I'd never thought about her like that [prior to the night of the Halloween party]". The team, led by Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson (who previously collaborated on Over My Dead Body), with further reporting by Natalia Winkelman, approaches every beat of the investigative documentary process with clinical precision and workmanly competence. New episodes of the nine-part series will be released weekly on Tuesdays. The team, led by Matthew . told investigators: The morning after the Halloween party - when investigators believed Arpana was killed and the killer began covering up his tracks, ultimately stealing Arpana's cell phone and digital camera - C.J. The big issue the show pursues is that Cameron was a viable suspect and the cops seemed to want to find ways to let him off the hook and make him a witness against Emmanuel. Police getting called out to a suspicious death in Redmond; one in which there was clear evidence of a struggle? Investigators would later speculate that this was the time when the ambitious 24-year-old's life was coming to an end, and her killer was attempting to cover up his tracks. They were able to follow the trail of maelstrom throughout the apartment down the hallway, towards the decedent's bedroom, where they discovered her body: that of a 24-year-old from India, who had come to America a few years prior to pursue her "American dream". In a new Wondery podcast series called Suspect, career journalistsMatthew ShaerandEric Bensoninvestigate the story of Jinagas murder, Fairs conviction and the spiderweb of details around this story. Most of the guests left Arpana's apartment for her neighbors just after 9:00 PM, but there were a lot of moving pieces that evening, and no real comprehensive way to determine who was where at what time. claim that over the next several days and weeks, he made vague statements alluding to him going over to Arpana's apartment in his sleep; which, when you factor in him having quit psychiatric medication a short time prior, seems worrisome. Episode 1: The Halloween Party | Suspect | Full Episode A tech prodigy from an early age, Arpana seemed poised to achieve great things in life. At the same time, her family was desperately trying to call her, having not heard from her since the prior Thursday. Erin Ehlert, the Senior Deputy Prosecutor, would claim that Emanuel Fair's DNA was found in places only the killer would have left behind a forensic footprint: on the piece of tape used to gag the victim, on her neck (where she had been choked), and then on a bloody bathrobe recovered by investigators. It would be noted that those at the party recalled him arriving with a noticeable limp - which would be noted by investigators days later when they spoke to him - but when asked about where this limp had come from, he said it had come from the wrestling match at the party. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This password will be used to sign into all, Shania Twain Gives Rare Update on Her Ex-Husband and Ex-BFF, Journey Should Probably Go Their Separate Ways, 6 Stand-ups Analyze ChatGPTs Attempts to Steal Their Jobs, Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Kind of Right About Novak Djokovic, Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic, The 7 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend, Ke Huy Quan Continues His Winning Streak at the Independent Spirit Awards. Listening notes for the top shows, from Vultures critic Nick Quah. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Alanis-Mejia was booked into Carrizales on Sept. 10, 2020, on an outstanding warrant, that alleges he was unaware of, according to the lawsuit. It is unknown if Galarza and Solis are still employed by the county, and it is also unknown if they have hired attorneys to represent them. This included the tape used to gag Arpana, DNA recovered from her neck (where she had been strangled), and a bloody robe found in the apartment complex's dumpster, which contained traces of Fair's DNA. as a suspect which is why they ultimately presented a case that didn't do so. ", "It was a brutal scene. There is no apparent reason why someone would want to take this person from the prime of her life.". 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. By Monday, Arpana had not yet surfaced and she would fail to show up for work that morning. Even though Arpana Jinaga had not been back home to visit her family in India in more than two years, she still talked to them over the phone regularly and had spoken to them the night before the Halloween party (Thursday, October 30th). However, when police revealed that they had obtained a log of his text messages and calls directly from his cell provider, he audibly responded "oh crap" and then claimed ignorance. Using the design kit allotted to each contestant, Arpana was able to design a communications jammer, which didn't win her the contest but showcased her ingenuity at such a young age (21). He later told investigators that he was sexually attracted to Arpana, and was hoping to "hook up" with her that evening (his words, not mine). While O'Leary never killed any of his known victims, there are certain details about his crime spree that remain unknown to investigators: including the contents of an encrypted file on his hard drive, which has been nicknamed "The Wretch" by certain investigators. Fair was held in jail for nine years and was twice tried but was never convicted. Through clever investigating, O'Leary was later captured and ultimately linked to at least five violent rapes between Washington and Colorado: all of which he had photographed and documented, keeping mementos of the victims (such as their cell phones and cameras). But as the reporting got going in earnest, it became more about an opportunity to do something which Ive always wanted to do, which is really break down an investigation from beginning to end and see how these cases come together or dont. Jay arrived at the apartment complex at around 9:00 AM and made his way to Arpana's apartment, which one of her neighbors - who I'll nickname "C.J." While Emanuel Fair was acquitted of the charges levied against him, the jurors that decided his fate claim that it had little to do with his innocence; but, rather, the level of reasonable doubt that his attorneys were able to raise. Speaking to the Bellevue Reporter, Lt. Doug Shepard of the Redmond Police Department said: "We're a safe community. claimed to not remember anything about them. Its challenging in terms of race, in terms of policing, in terms of forensic science. Meanwhile, the shift in the podcasts emphasis does mean that Jinagas own story ends up fading into the background a little bit. Suspect: S1 E1: The Halloween Party - Wondery There has been no sign of activity in the case in some time, due to the prolonged trials of Emanuel Fair. More than a decade later, no one has been held accountable for her murder. Benson: We didnt know that the Redmond [Police Department] was going to be willing to participate in the show. The actions caused Alanis to become startled and turn around, and this is when the attack by the jailers began. Terms of Service apply. The twelve jurors, who had originally leaned 9-3 in favor of acquittal, had been sent back to deliberate before ultimately coming up with a split decision (6-6 in favor of guilty/not-guilty, 5 of whom believed that "C.J." Follow Suspect Season 2: Vanished in the Snow on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh, Loosey! While jailed at the facility, Alanis-Mejia underwent suicide screening because he had recently lost his parents. If they did, youd probably see a news cycle about it by now. Months later, members of the Pacific Northwest Riders, the motorcycle club that Arpana had joined, would organize memorial rides in her honor (which took them out to Snoqualmie Falls, one of Arpana's favorite places to visit in Washington). While Arpana didn't have any friends or family in the area, she didn't let that deter her from leaning into the community. The case is described to us as a true whodunit, one that relies purely on circumstantial and DNA evidence because there werent any witnesses to the killing. The semen from an unnamed neighbor was found on a towel near Arpana's body, while another neighbor's DNA was found on a bootlace that investigators theorized had been used to strangle Arpana (this neighbor, it's worth pointing out, had an alibi for the time of the murder, and had not been at the Halloween party). Emmanuel Fair's Podcast Credits & Interviews | Podchaser Emanuel Fair's second trial began just last year, in 2019, and again, tried to reach a jury consensus regarding his guilt. says that he went back to his apartment at around midnight to go to sleep, his phone records would show that he called Arpana twice a few hours later: once at 2:56, and a second time at 3:02 AM. Even forensic analysis has its limits, as King County prosecutors and investigators in the Redmond area learned from this case. Id written anarticle about DNA forensic science for The Atlantic, and I was like everybody else I thought that DNA worked like it did on Law & Order, where its a green light. Friends recall that she spoke of opening an animal sanctuary for endangered species in the future. Another military veteran that has become a suspect in this story is none other than Israel Keyes, who was the focus of a very early episode of Unresolved from 2015 (and has since been covered more extensively in other books, documentaries, and podcasts). Whoever had forced entry into the apartment had attempted to clean and cover up their crime afterward. Emanuel Fair's trial would begin in February of 2017 - more than six years after he had originally been charged, and more than eight years after Arpana Jinaga's murder. Of course, for [Arpanas] family, its crushing. Instead, her life was brought to a violent and sudden end the morning after a Halloween party, and no one has been held to task for that. We have a brutal murder with no suspect. The final stretch of the series lingers in the bittersweet of the triumph: Its justice, but it comes after great loss. This isnt some true-crime podcast I can listen to and just have an opinion on.. This is sort of in the background of the show, but Seattle is a liberal place. TrueAllele was utilized heavily by this investigation and was able to come up with results that were far more definitive than anything the crime lab itself had been able to determine. Justice has not been swift. Who knows, she might have even become a mother by now. Police would speculate that the killer had started using bleach there and then carried it towards the bedroom, based on a trail of bleached droplets that led down the hallway. As if that wasn't bad enough, the killer had then sprayed motorcycle oil and other chemicals all over the 24-year-old's body, which they had then attempted to light on fire, not knowing that oil isn't flammable. Suspect podcast on Wondery : r/TrueCrimePodcasts - reddit Things you buy through our links may earnVox Mediaa commission. Meanwhile, Fair's attorneys would argue that this was not a valid argument: the state couldn't have their cake and eat it, too. showed up to the Halloween party rather late and was already heavily-intoxicated when he arrived. and Nirmala Jinaga, a professor of computer engineering and a housewife, respectively. Utilizing almost 200,000 lines of code, TrueAllele can analyze evidence with more than a half-dozen contributors, and determine who the most likely culprit is based on how many genetic markers are left on the evidence and where. After nine years of awaiting his fate, 35-year-old Emanuel Fair was released from custody just hours after being acquitted in the death of Arpana Jinaga. "In 2004, a correctional officer, Lt. Hilda Trevino, blew the whistle on fellow guards' mistreatment of inmates. Privacy Policy and That day, Arpana showed up for work as if it were any other workday, but told some of her coworkers about a party being held that evening at her apartment complex. During his interviews with investigators, C.J. Sarah Neilson is a freelance writer and book critic based in Seattle. Theres plinking music. According to prosecutors, Emanuel Fair claimed to have gone back to his friend Leslie's apartment at around 1:00 AM but would make nearly two dozen calls to three separate women (none of whom were Arpana) between 2:00 and 5:00 AM. While armed robberies and sexual assaults do happen there, they are very low in number compared to other similarly-sized cities. Not only had he been at the party, lived next-door, and had a close personal relationship with the victim, but evidence found at or near the crime scene also seemed to implicate him. Over the next few hours, police would begin arriving at the crime scene, closing it off to outsiders and attempting to gather statements from anyone they deemed pertinent. The power of that for potentially solving a crime, but also the potential shortcomings of DNA, was something everyone we talked to for this series has been really honest about. She even participated in Taekwondo classes and dabbled in a couple of musical ventures (including singing in a band back east while attending university). While investigators had already analyzed the evidence and saw that it could feasibly implicate Emanuel Fair's involvement in the murder, it was anything but definitive (and could create reasonable doubt if brought up in trial). Alanis-Mejia is seeking $1 million in exemplary damages as well as the cost of attorney's fees. Some of these individuals had not even attended the Halloween party, which made the discovery of their DNA at the crime scene that much more surprising. It was important for us to take the case as a whole and consider all the directions that it mightve gone, yes, but not to draw any conclusions. New 'Suspect' Podcast Explores Halloween Party Murder of - Peoplemag This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google For the next two years, investigators would struggle to make sense of this case. Dispatchers would tell both of the men to leave the apartment but remain nearby, and wait for investigators to arrive. Muhammad Ali, one of Arpana's co-workers at EMC in Bellevue, would attempt to call her but was unable to get through to her cell phone. "Classic City Crime," a true-crime podcast hosted by Cameron Jay, centers around the tragic death of Tara Louise Baker. In addition to having at least one brief encounter with Arpana at the party, police were able to determine that Fair had spent time at the party with "C.J." Arpana Jinaga was not the first young professional from India to be killed in 2008. The empty bottle of motor oil was found inside of a plastic bag, which also contained Arpana's Halloween costume, a blood-stained bathrobe, and sheets from Arpana's bed, which were conspicuously missing from the crime scene. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for May 30 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald G. Morgan. would admit that during this time, he had stopped taking his psychiatric medication. After all, not everything has to be about something bigger than itself, and theres something to be said about delivering the most polished version of a standard. An exclusive trailer for Suspect is below. Listen to Suspect at https://wondery.fm/SuspectEpisode Description: The residents of the Valley View apartments organize a big costume party. The oil would contribute to the odd smell throughout the apartment, and was reportedly found all over the carpet of the bedroom. can also be characterized as an uncharged accomplice.". Despite the insistence from the Redmond Police Department that this case was their top priority, that didn't bring forth any answers in the months to come, as the workable leads only led investigators to numerous dead-ends. Shaer: It might be different from other types of true-crime shows that people are used to where theres an agenda as to who ultimately committed the crime or who didnt. Why did it play out like it did? Missing from the scene entirely was Arpana's motorcycle, a Suzuki GS 500, which quickly became a highly-sought-after item for Redmond Police. In June of 2005, Arpana was featured in the New Indian Express, in an article titled "Young Inventors." Again. Who knows how many lives she could have touched? The apartment was discovered in a state of disrepair different from how it had looked days beforehand (during the Halloween party), which made it clear that the struggle had ultimately led to Arpana's bedroom. Arpana Jinaga. While those at the party remember Arpana going home alone at around 3:00 AM, neighbors that lived on both sides of her unit would recall hearing what sounded like muffled moaning sounds shortly thereafter, which they assumed at the time was consensual sex (but, knowing what we know now, undoubtedly wasn't). We didnt want to make a promise up front that we will reveal who did this or who didnt. Prosecutors implied that Fair had been lying about where he was during these vital hours, which remained unexplained nearly two years later. By the age of 24, Arpana Jinaga had already lived a full and rewarding life and seemed poised to leave a positive impact on the rest of the world. claims to have woken up at around 10:00 AM. This is when police learned about the argument Arpana had gotten in with another partygoer, which was described as being "race-related." A curious thing about Suspect, though, is that as much as some of its interviewees display awareness about the format theyre engaging with, the show itself largely resists doing the same. She had been posthumously covered in numerous liquids, including bleach and motor oil, which the killer had undoubtedly use to try and cover up the crime scene. does not exculpate Fair. If there was any evidence that pointed to Emanuel Fair's guilt, then it should be considered; but evidence pointing towards the involvement of an "uncharged accomplice" did nothing more than raise reasonable doubt that Fair had even been involved. Suspect takes up the unsolved murder of Arpana Jinaga, who was killed the night of a Halloween party at her Redmond, Washington, apartment complex in 2008. And they're a couple of names that you might be familiar with. Investigators would never ask him what this medication was, or what mental illness it was treating (one of the many missteps that Emanuel Fair's attorneys referred to in their pretrial motions). Was there anything that surprised you in your reporting of this story? It was around 3:00 AM on November 1st (Saturday) when the apartment's Halloween party began to die down; at which point, Arpana began returning to her apartment to catch some sleep. Redmond Police spokesman Jim Bove would tell reporters later that day (Monday, November 3rd): "There were signs of trauma in the apartment We have booked it as a case of suspicious death.". His reason for making this trip has never been uncovered, but it is believed that he might have committed crimes in the Seattle area over this three-day span in which Arpana Jinaga ended up dead. But just a few days before the retrial was set to begin (September 11th, 2017), the trial was placed on hold pending a discretionary review by the Court of Appeals. Here was a case where a woman was murdered and there were years of investigation, years of pursuing various suspects, two trials. They do unearth some new information and context, but this remains a story whose outcome can be easily Googled, even as Suspect underlines the details and the stakes with a more prominent shade. The jailers are further accused in the lawsuit of fabricating their statements. I hope I never have to investigate a case like this again.". Multiple witnesses had claimed to see Arpana return to her apartment at around 3:00 AM on November 1st, and shortly thereafter, some of her neighbors had recalled hearing "moaning" coming from her apartment (which they assumed was consensual sex taking place). These were the last calls or texts Arpana would receive that night, and when questioned about these phone calls, C.J. Because of the scene left behind at the apartment complex, it was obvious that whoever had killed Arpana Jinaga had broken in and specifically targeted her, subjecting her to a violent assault and a rape (which would later be confirmed during her autopsy). How did that happen? During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. In fact, Suspect is as straightforward as a true-crime podcast can get. In the apartment complex's dumpster, investigators would find a bottle of Castrol motorcycle oil, which the offender had likely found inside of Arpana's apartment and then sprayed all over the crime scene and her body. Over nine episodes, true crime podcast Suspect hosts Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson return to the scene of the 2008 crime over a decade later to uncover what happened, and speak with everyone about . had even shown Fair a music editing software on his home computer. Hes dangerous, hes terrifying, hes an extra in, How to Watch the 2023 Oscars Celebrate All 23 Categories Live Again. Suspect premieres Aug. 17 on Wondery+ and Aug. 31 wherever podcasts are streamed. Shaer and Benson previously collaborated on another true-crime podcast calledOver My Dead Body.. She recalled one of these voicemails sounding like constant movement on the other end, but nothing verbally being said. It was the culmination of a long and tortured relationship with the criminal justice system. When residents of the Valley View Apartments in Redmond, Wash . Even though he claimed to have gone home to his friend's apartment at around 1:00 AM to sleep, cell phone records indicated that Fair made dozens of phone calls to numerous women between 2:00 and 5:00 AM; including several calls to Leslie, the woman whose apartment he claimed to have been sleeping at. But we got really all of those people. lived right next-door to Arpana Jinaga, and by his own admission, had a pretty close relationship with her. TrueAllele is a genotyping software developed by a company named Cybergenetics, which is utilized by law enforcement agencies all over the country. It quickly became evident that the door leading into the apartment had been forced open, and the door jam was broken. A lot of stuff has not been analyzed yet. The Wagner opera returns to the Met for the first time in 17 years. 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. The demeaning comments against Alanis continues and the guards purposely made the comments to cause him more stress, the lawsuit states. October 31st, 2008 - Halloween - had the rare fortune of falling on a Friday. Offscreen, he was one himself. During that time, he had been couch-surfing with a friend at Arpana's apartment complex: a young woman named Leslie, who would actually lie to police about Emanuel staying there (claiming that she was home alone when questioned). C.J. was called to the stand during this trial to answer questions but was limited in what questions he could be asked, due to his privilege against self-incrimination. According to one of the jurors, who later spoke to the Seattle Times, the state's inability to reconcile the charges against Emanuel Fair with the evidence implicating C.J. could see that things were in disarray, and briefly scanned the apartment before locating the body of Arpana lying on her bedroom floor, already in the process of decomposing. A new true-crime podcast delves into the complicated murder case of a rising 24-year-old software programmer in Redmond, Wash. But instead of returning home to India, she decided to take another huge leap and accepted a job as a software quality assurance engineer with the tech giant EMC (now known as Dell EMC). Theres a narrative buildup toward the presentation of a maybe suspect being the likely culprit. Those pleas would continue to amplify months after Arpana's murder, when it became evident that answers were not readily available. I hope we did something to draw attention to that. And there is nobody in prison or even charged with this murder right now. This ultimately ended up impacting the jury, as they had not been informed about the details of Fair's prior mistrial, and the testimony of C.J. Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. His DNA had been found on a bottle of motor oil and on a bloody robe, both of which had been found inside of a plastic bag thrown into the apartment complex's dumpster. Now inside, Jay and C.J. Suspect - Wondery | Premium Podcasts Strangers come together. After all, O'Leary seemed to show little regard for his victims' age, ethnicity, or well being - targeting them for his pure enjoyment - and he has refused to crack on any of his crimes in the years since.
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