Wilkes Barre, Pa- Harlow Cuadra [pictured] needed an alibi for the day Bryan Kocis was killed, a friend of Cuadra testified today in Cuadra’s capital homicide trial.

Howard Halford testified Cuadra told him “a bad alibi is better than no alibi.”

Halford met Cuadra through the male escort service Cuadra co-owned with Joseph Kerekes in Virginia Beach, Va.. Cuadra, 27, is accused of killing Kocis, a rival pornography producer, at his Dallas Township home on Jan. 24, 2007, in order to lure an actor to the gay pornography business he also co-owned with Kerekes, 35.

Halford, who said he was in love with Cuadra, testified he gave the 27-year-old more than $70,000 for legal defense since he was imprisoned. Although Cuadra asked him several times for help with an alibi, Halford said he never lied to police.

“You were not with him on January 24?” Assistant District Attorney Michael Melnick asked.

“No,” Halford said.

Halford was not the only former client of Cuadra who testified he donated money to Cuadra’s legal defense or was asked to come up with an alibi. Nep Maliki, of Virginia Beach, said Cuadra sent him letters asking Maliki to remember facts about an alibi that was made up. Maliki, who works two fast food restaurant jobs, told jurors he donated $50 to Cuadra’s legal defense fund.

Thirteen witnesses testified in the seventh day of testimony. About half of the witnesses verified electronic records about various things from Cuadra’s My Space Web page or phone records.

Renee Martin, a neighbor of Harlow Cuadra testified today she talked to Kerekes hundreds or thousands of times, while the two men were jailed in Virginia Beach related to Kocis’ Dallas Township homicide. The two men were held there for several weeks after their arrest. Martin said she received several letters from Cuadra about the case, but that Kerekes was the primary contact.

Prosecution will resume its case at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.