Virginia Beach- Authorities in Virginia Beach, Va., on Thursday received governor’s warrants for the extradition of two suspects in the Bryan Kocis murder case, Virginia prosecutors said.
The development canceled a bail hearing and set the stage for their transport to Luzerne County [Pennsylvania] to face homicide charges, prosecutors said.
Jailed for allegedly slaying their “main rival” in the gay pornography business, Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes have fought extradition since their May 15 arrest and had filed a motion to hold a bail hearing Thursday.
Early Thursday, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Virginia Beach received warrants in the mail signed by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, seeking the extradition of the two men to Luzerne County to face murder charges, said Paul Powers, a senior assistant commonwealth attorney in Virginia Beach.
“Once we receive those warrants, bond becomes irrelevant,” Powers said.
Powers said it was merely a “coincidence” the warrants arrived the same day as the bond hearing was scheduled.
Thursday’s developments cancel an extradition hearing set for June 14.
A motions hearing is now set for June 27 at 9:30 a.m., Powers said.
Attorneys for Cuadra and Kerekes have until then to file petitions to challenge the governor’s warrants, Powers said.
If they don’t, Powers said Pennsylvania State Police will take the two men back to Luzerne County on that date to initiate criminal homicide proceedings.
Cuadra, 25, and Kerekes, 33, were charged with killing Kocis in January at his 60 Midland Drive, Dallas Township, home, then setting the residence on fire, police said.
Kocis, 44, was found dead after the fire. He suffered more than 20 stab wounds.
Kocis owned and operated the gay pornography business, Cobra Video, out of his home for several years.
Police say Cuadra and Kerekes, who ran a gay male escort service in Norfolk, Va., and at least three other gay pornographic Web sites, killed Kocis in order to hire his superstar actor, 19-year-old Sean Lockhart.
In a 21-page affidavit of probable cause, authorities link the two to the murder through dozens of e-mails, photos, credit card receipts, car and hotel rental records and incriminating comments allegedly made under surveillance while on a San Diego nude beach.
