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.. As a teenager, Jinaga won a top prize in an international computer programming competition. During trial the jury heard significant evidence that another person, Ms. Jinagas next door neighbor, may have murdered her on that tragic night.. 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. 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 . but Im not free., Thailand's 'most beautiful transgender woman' and husband wear $580K in attire at extravagant wedding, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; 'We are coming,' sheriff says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh's new mugshot revealed after double life sentence, Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland for 30 days for taking a bathroom selfie, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, but light rain makes brief return, Why 4 of Mizzou's seniors have a personal meaning for Dennis Gates, Iliman Ndiaye: Senegal midfielder an 'unbelievable' player. DNA was found on a discarded bottle of motor oil (same bag as robe). Johnson engaged in a number of suspicious activities after the murder. Jinaga had been a prize-winner in a . They also failed to look for evidence of a missing bootlace. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Police attempted to identify the partygoers and interview them. 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. To pass time, he said he read books, wrote letters and drew pictures. If you have probable cause, you dont go to a psychic, he said. Those are times when you should be around family. 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. At age 20, Jinaga moved from her native India to the United States and quickly found success. The medical examiner estimated Jinagas time of death was 8 a.m. The party started like many others. Fair said he went inside Jinagas apartment various times throughout the party. In a 2020 interview, one of the prosecutors said Fair looked like the best suspect because his DNA was found on objects specifically related to the murder, not the aftermath. He made calls to a few friends, including apparently pocket-dialing Potts. 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. 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. At his second trial, a jury found him not guilty. Coats and another Redmond detective confronted the neighbor about his calls to Jinaga, but then released him and returned his phone without examining it. The lawsuit also says Fair threw garbage in the dumpster where the robe and other items were found while helping with party clean up. She is suspected to have died from strangulation from a bootlace. 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. The court documents detail negligence by detectives and the outsourcing of a famous psychic medium to opine on the case. 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. 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. Most of Fairs jail term was spent away from the general population in administrative segregation essentially, solitary confinement. 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. Jinagas naked body was discovered by a close friend and an immediate neighbor in her home on Nov. 1, 2008. Was Kyle Rose ever questioned as a suspect? 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. 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. On Halloween 2008, Jinaga and several of her neighbors at the Valley View Apartments threw a large Halloween party, with guests moving between their units. So its kind of messed up. Johnson's friends and family stated he said "what if I did the murder and I don't remember". Remembering Arpana Jinaga - this was the memorial DVD that was played at her funeral on October 6, 2008 in Bellevue, Washington. During the trials, the neighbor, whom prosecutors at one point granted immunity for information, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. 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. Also Leslie Potts covering for Fair is alarming, was that investigated. Investigators said the lower half of the womans body was covered in motor oil. Her fingers and nails were cleaned and then covered in toilet bowl cleaner, and there was a heavy scent of bleach throughout the house. DNA found at the crime scene was ultimately linked to three men, but only one was charged with murder. Detectives also found a trace of his DNA on the front of Jinagas neck that was so small that it had to be sent to a specialized lab for review. He attributed them to wrestling a stranger he met at another Halloween party the next day, the lawsuit alleges. Jinaga had been gagged, brutally beaten and most likely raped. 14 years later, and unfortunately there are no updates in this case. As her next-door neighbor this would have been obvious. The lawsuit alleges there was heavy drinking at the party of 40 to 50 people. 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. The two discovered her locked door had been kicked in. According to reports, when lead Detective Brian Coats saw photos from the party, he narrowed in on Fair, who he referred to as theonly African-American male at the party on the podcast Suspect. Coats was asked during the podcast if the prior conviction was significant to his investigation. New episodes of the nine-part series will be released weekly on Tuesdays. Police staked out the house where he was staying, slowly rolled up on Fair and reportedly pointed guns at his chest. 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. 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. Arpana dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and her apartment was one of four areas in the complex. Fair was tried for Jinagas sexual assault twice and was acquitted after his second trial in June 2019. 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. Potts, Jinaga and two others neighbors decorated and opened up their units to allow partygoers to go in and out freely. On Oct. 31, 2008, Fair took a bus to Redmond to stay the weekend with a friend at the Valley View Apartments. According to court documents, Johnson called Jinaga around 3 a.m. but did not mention that to the police during his interview. 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. Around 3 am, Jinaga left a gathering in a ground-floor apartment and returned to her apartment on the third floor. He helped set up and clean up, and had no wounds, no scratches or injuries. 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. She practiced martial arts and participated in a motorcycle club. .but he doesnt mention it? The case turned into a classic whodunit, and Jinaga's costumed party guests were the prime suspects. Somewhere they could establish an alibi?) In August 2009, a man named Emanuel Fair was interviewed by police. Fairs lawsuit includes many of the same facts that his public defender, Ben Goldsmith, used to poke holes in the prosecutions criminal case. 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. The lawsuit alleges that a lighter was found in his apartment with a sticky substance on it, but investigators never collected it. He was drunk and brought bottles of liquor. Fair met Jinaga hours before she was killed at a Halloween party in her apartment complex. According to court documents, a neighbor who did not attend the party reported seeing a man with olive complexion and light stubble standing in Jinagas doorway, talking to someone inside around 3 a.m. Fair went inside Potts apartment between 2:30 and 3 a.m. after listening to music with Jinagas immediate neighbor Cameron Johnson. According to court documents, a neighbor who did not attend the party reported seeing a man with olive complexion and light stubble standing in Jinagas doorway, talking to someone inside around 3 a.m. Fair went inside Potts apartment between 2:30 and 3 a.m. after listening to music with Jinagas immediate neighbor Cameron Johnson. There were also other men in Jinagas life that detectives suspected of the murder, and some of their DNA was found at the crime scene. Coats ran a background check on the Fair and found the rape charge. Do we know how extensive the damage was? Burn marks on her body and apartment suggest somebody tried to burn her. 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