Because of this, a judge limited the scope of questions the man could be asked during the trial. He had a lighter covered in gook that looked like motor oil which they took a photo of but never bagged it nor did they check his shoes for a missing lace. Now, more than two years later, Fair is suing King County, the city of Redmond and Redmond Police Capt. The medical examiner estimated Jinagas time of death was 8 a.m. 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? He was staying with Potts in the mostly white neighborhood that weekend, and his attendance at the party was impromptu. 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. That decision was upheld by the state Court of Appeals following Fairs first trial. Several people were at the party before Jinagas murder, so the scene was full of various DNA samples. 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He scrubbed his phone right after the interrogation, the lawsuit says. Another apartment complex resident committed suicide just days after Jinagas death, and his DNA was reportedly never compared to the crime scene. Emanuel Fair stayed in the King County Correctional Facility for nearly nine years for a crime he did not commit based on a botched and bizarre murder investigation driven by racial discrimination, a recent lawsuit alleges. 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. 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. 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. I think he may have been involved; I think he may have lied to us, Ehlert said of the neighbor. They interrogated Fair on the car ride to the station without reading his rights. Fair spent six of the nearly nine years in jail, held by a seven-figure bond, isolated for 23 hours a day awaiting trial. 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. Fair also used Jinaga's bathroom. Jinaga had been a prize-winner in a . Maybe he sneezed or coughed while using it. He was drunk and brought bottles of liquor. 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. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. . 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. His legal team expanded the lawsuit in late March, adding ten more pages of allegations and the prosecutor on the case and other detectives that handled the case to the list of defendants. It's obvious why Fair is the number one suspect. The case turned into a classic whodunit, and Jinaga's costumed party guests were the prime suspects. According to court records and Chief Criminal Deputy Mark Larson, prosecutors were barred from arguing that Fair and the neighbor were both involved in Jinagas killing because there wasnt evidence to support the states theory the men acted as accomplices. Cameron Johnson, who has never been charged, invoked his 5th Amendment right, and therefore only faced limited scope questioning during Fair's trial. After the sound stopped, Rose then heard steps and the sound of running water for 1 hour. 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. Arpana Jinaga was murdered in her apartment in 2008 . Now, more than two years later, Fair is suing King County, the city of Redmond and Redmond Police Capt. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. Jinaga had been gagged with her underpants and duct tape, brutally beaten around the head. He told detectives he had a desire to explore. Canadian officials said Johnson tried to blow through the gates. 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. 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. Around 1am, Fair visited Jinaga's apartment to eat pizza. Maybe they were running out of time (had to be somewhere? Ive never seen a worse case, Corinne Sebren, one of Fairs lawyers, who specializes in civil rights cases, told Rolling Stone in a recent interview. 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. Johnson said he heard moaning sounds coming from Jinagas apartment around 3 a.m., and he assumed she was having sex. When contacted by police, Leslie Potts falsely claimed that she was alone, even though Emanuel Fair was staying with her. The county, police department and Coats filed a response to Fairs initial complaint refuting the claims. They messed up, he said. 14 years later, and unfortunately there are no updates in this case. 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. 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. Fair was staying with his friend Leslie Potts on Oct. 31, 2008, in Valley View Apartments when he attended the party that Potts and other neighbors organized. From the beginning, it was a complex case, complicated by the fact so many people had attended the party the night before she was killed, said Coats, the Redmond police lieutenant. 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. Shed been gagged, beaten and strangled during an apparent sexual attack. I didnt know how to answer, so I just told her the truth: Im depressed. When the night came to an end and the crowd began to disperse, Jinaga said what would be her final goodbyes. She had opened her third-floor apartment to Fair and dozens of other partygoers, who traipsed in and out during the festivities. 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. It was like the movies, coming down slow.. The man was the last person to call her the night she was killed, he tried to destroy evidence of the calls, and he attempted to go to Canada after the homicide but was turned away, he said. Arpana Jinaga. 14 years ago. 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. Her finger and fingernails were cleaned. 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. 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. She had it all going on, Coats said. 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 was asked during the podcast if the prior conviction was significant to his investigation. Jinagas phone and digital camera were missing from the scene and never recovered. Police attempted to identify the partygoers and interview them. 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. Indian immigrant and recent college graduate Arpana Jinaga was found brutally murdered in her Washington State apartment after co-hosting a Halloween costume party at her complex the evening of Oct. 31, 2008. The two discovered her locked door had been kicked in. His legal team expanded the lawsuit in late March, adding ten more pages of allegations and the prosecutor on the case and other detectives that handled the case to the list of defendants. 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. They also want him to be reimbursed for the attorney fees he incurred while fighting the charges. At some point during the night, partygoers recall Jinaga getting into an argument with a male, who made a race-related comment. I just dont want to be around nobody, he said. By Bill Christianson January 8, 2009 5:35 pm. The county, police department and Coats filed a response to Fairs initial complaint refuting the claims. He had been in her apartment once earlier in the night too. He heard "a horrible growling" for about twenty seconds until he heard a thud. Just to set the record straight. 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. As a teenager, Jinaga won a top prize in an international computer programming competition. He also drove to Canada the day of the murder and attempted to cross the border without a passport. So what else can they do but to continue to point their finger at me?. He told detectives he had a desire to explore. Canadian officials said Johnson tried to blow through the gates. 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. 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. My guess would be drugs. Her removed tampon alone had three separate unidentified male DNA profiles on it, according to Rolling Stones investigation. 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. Police believe she was killed around 8 a.m. Two days later, a friend of Jinagas father went to check up on her because she hadnt answered phone calls from her family in India. In every community across Washington, families are facing the challenge of accessing and affording long-term care. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. Atlanta Black Star is a narrative company. Ehlert, in the 2020 interview, noted prosecutors were barred from including some key evidence at trial: Fairs past convictions and the possibility that he and the neighbor acted together in Jinagas killing because there wasnt evidence to support that theory a decision upheld by the state Court of Appeals after Fairs first trial. So its kind of messed up. A bunch of residents of the apartment complex had decided to throw a big Halloween bash across something like four of the apartments, with each apartment decorated with a different theme. Jinaga was sprawled on the floor in her bedroom, bloody, naked, and drenched in bleach, toilet bowl cleaner, and motor oil. 2008, in Marshall . She was a brilliant person. Court records show prosecutors did not believe they had enough evidence to charge Jinagas neighbor, who met Fair the night of the homicide. Most people left Jinaga's apartment after 9pm to move to another apartment. Meanwhile they raided Emmanuels stuff and according to his best friend on the podcast took almost ALL of his things. On Oct. 31, 2008, Fair took a bus to Redmond to stay the weekend with a friend at the Valley View Apartments. 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. 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. .but he doesnt mention it? Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens. Fairs lawsuit contends the probable cause affidavit used to support the murder charge omitted multiple facts, including that several other mens DNA also was found on crime scene evidence and items found in the dumpster. 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.