But because of his prior criminal record, he would remain at the top of their suspect list for some time until the results from the forensic analysis came back from the Washington state crime lab, which seemed to implicate his involvement in the murder. We have a brutal murder with no suspect. 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. Benson: I think no one feels satisfied with the outcome. . And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. As you can imagine, this analysis was seen as invaluable to the prosecution, who saw this as being ironclad proof of Fair's guilt. 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. "Classic City Crime," a true-crime podcast hosted by Cameron Jay, centers around the tragic death of Tara Louise Baker. The lawsuit alleges jailers Raul Galarza and Mark Solis began demeaning Alanis-Mejia and ridiculing him because he was crying over the death of his parents. The podcast currently has over 1,000 followers on Instagram and has over . Fair's attorneys would point out several gaps in the investigation. 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). Several items found inside of the apartment had also been burned by the killer, including a green blanket that belonged to Arpana, the red cape she had been wearing to the Halloween party, other pieces of her costume, a black sheet, and portions of carpet. The actions caused Alanis to become startled and turn around, and this is when the attack by the jailers began. This area - Redmond, Washington - is a relative stranger to violent crime. 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. Emanuel Fair spent 9 years in jail for a crime he did not commit proclaiming his innocence through two trials, numerous motions, and drawn out judicial delays. Thats depressing. claims to have woken up at around 10:00 AM. Speaking to the Bellevue Reporter, Lt. Doug Shepard of the Redmond Police Department said: "We're a safe community. And when you get to talk to all these different people who are involved in the case at different times, you see how that power manifests itself or doesnt. Writing the Atlantic story was a bit of a wake [up] call in all the different ways that DNA can be misused. I hope that answers can still be found in this case, but until such a time, the story of Arpana Jinaga will remain unresolved. Suspect Season 1 Episode 1. If the state wanted to pursue charges against Emanuel Fair, then they were well within their right to do so, but attempting to convict both him and an uncharged accomplice for crimes that they might have committed together was unconstitutional. 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. 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. was a similarly likely candidate to be Arpana's killer. After his release from prison in November of 2006, Fair would begin a three-year process of floating between prison and homelessness; this included the period in which Arpana Jinaga was murdered. Fair's attorneys claim that he had been treated negatively during interviews, while other suspects with more incriminating evidence pointing to their guilty were treated with metaphorical kid's gloves. However, over the next several days, they would eventually bring themselves to a consensus, and delivered their findings the following Tuesday, June 11th: not guilty. In the weeks to come, it would be reported that several items had been sent to the Washington state crime lab, but it was estimated that it could take weeks - if not months - for items to be tested for any possible forensic evidence. That was surprising. The latest episode of Suspect highlights a reason that IMO isn't talked about enough -- the problems inherent in the jury system. But we got really all of those people. Her body was then flown back to India, to be properly buried by her family, who struggled to move on after her sudden loss. Until such a time, they had to take the program and its parent company, Cybergenetics, at their word. For Arpana's parents, they had to grieve not only the loss of their oldest daughter, but an inspiring and bright young soul that had managed to accomplish so much in such little time, and seemed poised to accomplish great things in the future - not only professionally, but personally. Arpana moved to Redmond, Washington in the early months of 2008. For three and a half decades, her disappearance was a mystery - a riddle neither authorities . On November 21st, 2008 - three weeks after the murder - he spoke to investigators and admitted to being inside of Arpana's apartment during the Halloween party. would admit that during this time, he had stopped taking his psychiatric medication. 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. 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. What drew you to this story, and why now? The most crushing thing of course is shes not here, but you can imagine it would be really difficult for her family to have that lack of closure. Emanuel Fair's second trial began just last year, in 2019, and again, tried to reach a jury consensus regarding his guilt. Benson: DNA was kind of the selling point in terms of why this was going to be something that was current and hadnt been talked about a lot, because the DNA science has evolved very quickly. Both were seen together, and this would come up later - which is why I mention it - but both claim that their interaction lasted no more than 30 minutes or so, and they hadn't seen each other before or since. Then, in a strange turn of fate, he decided to drive up to the Canadian border, where he attempted to drive through the border without stopping or declaring himself. The jailers are further accused in the lawsuit of fabricating their statements. throughout the episode - stating during the trial that: " the State's position is that [C.J.] 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. 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. This is sort of in the background of the show, but Seattle is a liberal place. and on their website: sarahneilsonwriter.com. Season 1 features a whodunit-style search for a holiday party killer. might have been involved). In the year since Emanuel Fair's second trial came to an end, the story has received close to no attention from the world-at-large. 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). Marc Patrick O'Leary, an Army veteran, is a convicted rapist and home invader who you might know from the well-known book "A False Report: An Unbelievable Story of Rape" (which was later adapted into the Netflix series "Unbelievable"). 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. for having any involvement in the murder, they were creating ammunition for the defense in the form of reasonable doubt. I hope people think about that, but I also hope that they think about the way that justice is carried out or not, in cities across the country and in a really liberal place like Seattle. So I just finished the Suspect podcast on Wondery +, and am finding myself feeling mislead by the hosts after doing some additional research after the fact. Since its release on Aug. 31,Suspecthas vaulted to the top spot on Chartables U.S. rankings of most listened to Apple podcasts. At some point in the evening, it would be reported that Arpana got into a verbal argument with a male partygoer. We didnt want to make a promise up front that we will reveal who did this or who didnt. Emanuel Fair's attorneys would argue that while there might have been DNA implicating him in the crime, there was just as much implicating others; including the neighbor that had been tied to this case from the very beginning, who I've identified as "C.J." While Arpana would show an affinity for art, writing, and even gymnastics from an early age, she seemed destined to follow in her father's footsteps, becoming a bit of a tech prodigy in her teenage years. That the murder took place around the time of a Halloween party lends a slightly surreal quality to the way law-enforcement types discuss the case on tape: Was it the gangster? Investigators would continue to reach out to Arpana's family and friends over the next several weeks, hoping to learn more about the days and hours leading up to her death. It's also a lot more complicated than TV shows and movies would have us believe. She moved into the Valley View Apartments just north of Marymoor Park, along the 8900 block of Redmond-Woodinville Road. Roughly two months after the trial began, after weeks of gridlock, the trial would end with a hung jury. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for May 30 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald G. Morgan. The damage left behind made it evident that the killer had entered through brute force, and from there, had proceeded to struggle with Arpana. According to an interview with Coats by Matt Shaer who retraced the steps of Coats' investigation in his podcast, Suspect, and whose interviews helped inform Fair's lawsuit he spotted . The gap between practice and potential is further underscored by the many instances in which Suspect carries the genres various conventions and clichs. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. 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. While armed robberies and sexual assaults do happen there, they are very low in number compared to other similarly-sized cities. - happened to be nearby. In 2008, a 24-year-old Redmond-based software engineer named Arpana Jinaga was found strangled in her apartment after a Halloween party in her building. According to investigators, they were also struggling to piece together a solid motive. In that sense, Suspect is a little bit like the true-crime podcast version of a Gerard Butler movie or a really good episode of Law and Order: an exemplar of its genre, but not a revolutionary, which I sincerely mean as praise. The lawsuit states abuse by guards also continued when Sheriff Omar Lucio took over in 2005, although Lucio had vowed to clean up jail abuses by guards. Among thousands of contestants, she was singled out as a top-20 performer and was the only participant from Asia to be featured in the subsequent awards. However, the results obtained through TrueAllele pointed to Fair, in particular, as the killer; with the software saying that he was thousands of times more likely to have been Arpana's killer than other available suspects. Its the best we can do forensically, but it still requires human beings to translate. Alanis-Mejia is seeking $1 million in exemplary damages as well as the cost of attorney's fees. Why did it play out like it did? Oh, Loosey! [In the 1980s], you really needed a lot of body fluid, so there was no ambiguity about whose DNA it was. For three and a half decades, her disappearance was a mystery - a riddle neither authorities . In fact, DNA from several men was found at the crime scene, including several of Arpana's neighbors and fellow partygoers. Its probably a spoiler to tell you at this point that the team doesnt end up solving Jinagas murder. The jailers "violently slammed Alanis into a wall and then tackled him to the ground with both officers leaping on top of him," the lawsuit stated. Sure, it grapples with several important ideas discriminatory policing based on race, the limitations of DNA evidence, the thorny relationship between the judicial system and actual justice but it doesnt end up being particularly about any of those things, nor does it substantially advance the conversation on any front. 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. Editors note: A previous version of this story stated Emanuel Fair was convicted for the murder of Arpana Jinaga. 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 . That is where her body was discovered, nude and bloody, lying face-down on the floor beside her bed. - a former-student of Arpana's father in India, who had since become a professor in the states - and asked him to check in on Arpana at her apartment in Redmond. as an uncharged accomplice). You can listen early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery App. Meanwhile, Fair's attorneys would argue that this was not a valid argument: the state couldn't have their cake and eat it, too. Arpana Jinaga was not the first young professional from India to be killed in 2008. The case remains unsolved today. Shortly after moving to Redmond, the 24-year-old Arpana decided to purchase a motorcycle. The two hung out often after Arpana moved to the Redmond area, but had begun to drift apart in the weeks before the murder (due to Arpana spending her free time volunteering and participating in her motorcycle club). We didnt know if anyone from the Valley View apartments or if the people in Arpanas life or the other people who at one point or another seem to have been at least persons of interest, if they were going to want to talk. Inside the apartment, it became clear to investigators that a struggle had taken place. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. 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). It was the culmination of a long and tortured relationship with the criminal justice system. Discover golden trading opportunities with FXTM, Laura B. Martinez, The Brownsville Herald, Texas. While Arpana didn't have any friends or family in the area, she didn't let that deter her from leaning into the community. Youve got some Janning to do! He was also a longtime friend of Omar Norman, a convicted killer that had received a 52-year sentence for murdering a man in October of 2005. In addition to the bleach, investigators would note that the apartment smelled faintly of motor oil, which had been dumped all around the crime scene; especially in the bedroom, on and around Arpana's body. This sort of thing doesn't happen in Redmond. was interviewed multiple times by investigators, and each time, was unable to remember certain details: including what he had been up to during the estimated time of the murder (3:00 - 8:00 AM). and Nirmala Jinaga, a professor of computer engineering and a housewife, respectively. This meant that she had been killed sometime on the morning of Saturday, November 1st, which would correlate to the hours after the Halloween party. Police had already determined that Arpana's body had been covered in that type of motor oil, so whoever had handled it had likely been involved in her death. It would later be found that other items were missing from the crime scene, including at least one of Arpana's ID cards, her Blackberry (cell phone), and her digital camera; none of which would ever be recovered. 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. In addition to joining a motorcycle club, Arpana also volunteered at the Redmond Fire Department, riding along to fires in the area; as well as animal shelters in Bellevue, where she helped care for and attend to unwanted pets. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. The description they gave to police more closely resembled C.J. Unlike Emanuel Fair, he also had a prior relationship with Arpana, lived next-door to her, and had been noticeably resentful towards her in the weeks leading up to her death. The linchpin of their case was forensic evidence: according to prosecutors, DNA from Emanuel Fair had been recovered at the crime scene, on several pieces of evidence that they believe the killer had touched. What do you hope people will learn from this story, and what kind of impact do you hope it will have? Both jailers acted under color and are not entitled to qualify for immunity because the excessive use of force violated Alanis-Mejia's Fourteen Amendment constitutional rights, the lawsuit alleged. Listening notes for the top shows, from Vultures critic Nick Quah. Everything Everywhere All at Once leads with eight nominations tonight. Later, police would figure out that Fair attended that same Halloween party as Arpana because of photographs that other partygoers had taken, some of which had been posted online to social media sites. Throughout the latter half of 2017 and the entirety of 2018, another lengthy legal battle would ensue. Mar. 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. This was paired with several inconsistencies in Emanuel Fair's story; which included - but was not limited to - calls he had made during the time of Arpana's murder. 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. Six years after charges were filed, Fair, now 33, spends his days shuffling between the King County Superior Court and the county jail while his two defense attorneys . Arpana B. Jinaga grew up in Hyderabad, one of the largest cities in all of India. On Thursday, June 6th, 2019, the 12 members of the jury began deliberating, and originally found themselves deadlocked yet again (split into groups of 4: innocent, guilty, and undecided). The prosecution would paint a portrait of Fair as a repeat offender, who met Arpana at the Halloween party and then became infatuated with her. They dance and drink. According to police spokesmen early on, what investigators were finding indicated homicide - signs of a physical struggle and potential signs of sexual trauma - but they would remain tight-lipped in the days to come. The two disgraced men have both been sentenced for sex crimes. The team, led by Matthew . 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. Keyes was a methodical serial killer who obsessively planned out his crimes ahead of time, but was also known to act impulsively. This is perhaps another way Suspect embodies a core quality of the contemporary true-crime podcast experience: You might get a little more truth and even a little more justice, but youre still far from closure. In fact, Suspect is as straightforward as a true-crime podcast can get. She would begin working there in March of 2008, and a company spokesman would later say that during her brief six-month tenure at the company, she had cemented herself as a hardworking and bright employee, who was considered a "rising star" among the higher-ups at EMC. Prosecutors made it clear that they were seeking more than the recommended sentence - 45 years - which they were allowed to pursue because of the aggravated circumstances of her death. 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. TrueAllele is a genotyping software developed by a company named Cybergenetics, which is utilized by law enforcement agencies all over the country. "In 2004, a correctional officer, Lt. Hilda Trevino, blew the whistle on fellow guards' mistreatment of inmates. At the time of this announcement - in October of 2010 - he was incarcerated at the McNeil Island Correction Center in Steilacoom for failing to update his sex offender registration and was not expected to be released until 2012. 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. Its got a lot wrapped up in it and I am just grateful that people are engaging with it. 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. 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. He was originally charged with Arpana's murder in October of 2010 and acquitted in June of 2019 - nearly nine years, in which there was little movement in Arpana's case. Fair was held in jail for nine years and was twice tried but was never convicted. During his interviews with investigators, C.J. It seemed more like a momentary argument to them than a sign of anything serious and didn't believe that it was linked to Arpana's death hours later. The best musical instrument is a love triangle.